Darkness Within Light
by BrokenGraceEFINI
Summary: *Ghost Adventures fan-fiction* Desiree is your average woman... with a dark side. Secretly she battles her own inner demons and struggles on a journey to recover her faith in love and in God. Will the guys be able to deliver her from her life of torment? Will Zak be able to help her overcome her insecurities and capture her heart? PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Prologue: Shadows and Saviors

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: All characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to real people or locations are NOT owned by me, however the characters' interactions with the location are mine and are purely fictional.***

**PROLOGUE – Shadows and Saviors**

I awoke to that persistent beeping of a heart monitor. I opened my eyes to blinding fluorescent lights.

I tried to sit up, but I felt a searing pain down my back and in my gut so I stopped. I bit back a scream and blinked away tears.

_What happened?_

I took stock of my surroundings. I was in a hospital ICU in west Texas. The room I was in was sterile. Cold. The only break in the dismal atmosphere was a large purple orchid plant and a stuffed puppy dog that sat on the table by my bed. I slowly reached out and fingered the card tied to the flowers.

"_You'll always be our miracle baby. Love, Mom and Dad"_

"Oh good, you're awake," said a nurse disdainfully. She left the room without saying another word. That was… disconcerting… to say the least.

Ten minutes later a doctor came in. "Good to see that you are recovering." He came over to me and did some simple checkups on me. I shivered at his touch. He stepped back; his eyes obviously still showing disapproval. "I suggest you straighten up your life. You shouldn't be putting your family through this."

My eyes grew wide. He stoically ignored my reaction and turned to leave the room.

"Sir?"

He stopped. He didn't even turn around to face me.

"What on earth happened to me?"

He sighed and turned halfway around, hands on his hips, a disgusted look on his face. "You had a heart attack."

_What?_ "How? Why?"

He walked over to my bed and handed me a pamphlet. "Let's pretend that I'm smarter than you think I am, shall we? Moreover, that you are not as smart as you think you are."

_Excuse me? _I turned the pamphlet over in my hands. "West Texas Rehabilitation Center…" I looked up at him. "I was drugged?"

"More than likely this was just your body telling you to slow down on the partying. Your blood tests did not suggest an overdose; however constant drug usage over a sustained period of time can trigger this – if the doses are high enough."

I narrowed my eyebrows but still maintained a quasi-respectful tone. "What drugs are you talking about?"

The doctor frowned threateningly at me. "Someone your age having a heart attack this massive, please don't play dumb with me. Your life is at stake. Methamphetamines are not something to be played with."

I stifled a laugh. Dope? "Are you serious?"

I was involved in a lot of different substances, but speed was SO not my flavor. At all. I wouldn't even take rolls (ecstasy) that were cut with dope. Growing up A.D.D. and being medicated by Adderall for almost twenty years will have that effect. On top of that, I was always so careful to do exhaustive research on each and every substance before putting it into my body. None of them were considered heavy stimulants or depressants.

The doctor just scowled and walked towards the door. "Your family is here to see you, I will let them know you're awake."

I sat numbly staring at the pamphlet. _This can't be happening!_ Even if this was drug-related, I hadn't taken anything for several days. The business had been extremely sparse lately, due to a recent raid of my cook's wearhouse in Dallas.

I shook my head and tried to recount the past twenty-four hours. At first I can't remember anything, but then foggy memories begin to drift into my consciousness.

I was smoking a cigarette, standing on the balcony of my friend's apartment. It was nighttime, and I was watching the empty parking lot and alley way visible from the patio.

Just as I put the cigarette out, I noticed a figure walking down the alley, but I couldn't make out any features whatsoever. Regardless, I felt my eyes drawn to them.

Suddenly they stopped walking and locked eyes with me. What was featureless and distant seemed to be inches from my face – all I saw were red, angry, veined eyes that would give the latest "demonic warfare" movie out today a run for its money.

I remember blinking, and the vision was gone. So was the figure in the alley. I had just shrugged it off when suddenly I felt ice-cold.

The next thing I knew I was thrown back into the apartment, through the living room, landing on the wall between my friend's dining room and kitchen. The picture frames behind me cracked as my body slammed up against them. I felt hot blood flow as the broken glass bit into my back, and a searing pain erupted from my stomach and my chest, as though my insides were being ripped apart.

I don't remember much after that moment. Later on I found out that my friend, who had been in the bathroom at that moment, came out to see me crumpled on the floor. She immediately dialed 911.

I guess that's how I got here.

Another nurse came in with my mother, my father, and my best friend, Holly. Mom looked like she had been crying for years. My dad looked like he was ready to punch someone. Even Holly looked pissed.

I squeezed Mom's hand. I hadn't seen my parents for almost three years. They had given me the ultimatum – "Don't come home and don't contact us until you are the daughter we raised again. We don't know you."

I was making ten grand a week hustling. Who were they to tell me to stop what I was doing?!

Fine. Fuck you, fuck God, who gives a rat's ass? I bounced, and had made good on the agreement of avoiding contact… So this was one hell of a reunion. Literally.

I felt a wave of sorrow as I saw the pain in my parents' eyes.

"Momma, Daddy, I didn't overdose on Meth!" I knew there was no way they would believe me, but I was adamant.

Holly put a hand on my shoulder. She knew my history with substances very well. "Don't worry, Desiree, I've already talked to them about that."

My dad scooped his arms between me and the bed and kissed my forehead. "It doesn't matter right now."

I wrapped my arms around my father's neck. "Daddy, It's over. I'm done, I can't do this anymore. And I'm coming home."

I felt the giant man collapse and he and my mother held me like they would never let me go.

"We've been praying for those words for years," my mom sobbed into my ear.

"I know. You were right. I'm tired of running from what I know is real," I pulled back and looked at her seriously. "If Jesus accepts do-over's, hopefully He will except mine."

She pulled my head to her chest. "Of course He will, sweetheart. He already knew you were going to do this before you were born."

We wept. Tears of agony and redemption never hurt so much or tasted so sweet.

I felt a chill and looked over my dad's shoulder. I saw a dark shadow was in the corner of the hospital room. Somehow… I knew it was what had attacked me.

I could swear it was laughing.

…_Do you really think that your Jesus will save you?..._

I shivered. _He can, and He will… but even if He doesn't..._

I heard it snarl and it vanished.


	2. Reunited Sisters and Smelly Stuffs

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: Real life references to Zak Bagans, Nick Groff, Aaron Goodwin, and Paul are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life DFW Airport and TV show references are, again, NOT owned by me, and the characters' interactions with the location are purely fictional.***

**I – Reunited Sisters and Smelly Stuffs**

_About 5 years later…_

"DUDE!"

"I know, RIGHT?" Holly shrieked over the speaker-phone. She had just called to inform me that she had won tickets to a huge concert in Austin, Texas… and I was going to be accompanying her whether I liked it or not.

Fortunately for her, I definitely liked it. I was dancing around my tiny apartment, doing that annoying girl-squeaking shit. Sadie started jumping up and down with me, knocking over a TV tray with her tail.

"That is so awesome! Will you still be able to afford to visit me next week?" We had already planned for a weekend of goofing off, and I didn't want her so strapped for cash that she couldn't make both trips.

"Bitch, please!" Holly laughed. "That's not a problem at all. In fact, do you want me to book us a hotel to stay in while I'm in town?"

I frowned. Holly is my best friend and moved out to Las Vegas two years ago. She's rocking along in life while I'm still in my ghetto studio apartment and living paycheck to paycheck. I appreciated her offer, but it still stung.

"I guess… Book a room if you want one, but I don't want to have to board the beast while you're here."

She giggled, "And miss out on what would most definitely be epic slumber parties? I don't think so, lady. I'll stay with you."

"As long as you promise to keep your hands to yourself."

This got a cackle out of her. "No promises!"

I imitated an exasperated sigh. "Fiiiiine… Listen, I gotta go. Sadie is doing a dance." I grabbed her leash as she pussy-footed over by the door

"Later sexy."

"Bye lover."

I clipped Sadie's collar on her and we headed out the door.

I'm a excruciatingly unspectacular woman. Almost 30 and as poor as dirt. I go to church on the weekends. I visit my folks at least once a week to mooch dinner. I work in the semiconductor industry designing circuit boards. I drink dark beer and I eat too much junk food. I have a 10th Anniversary Mazda RX-7, and it is my baby. I live with a 60-pound pointer/boxer/velociraptor/ninja/polar bear mix (a.k.a. a freak of nature) in a 600 square foot apartment, in a complex that has the cops visit at least twice on weekends.

At least the local entertainment is free. There is nothing like watching Cheaters or Intervention live and uncut from your patio.

I tried college years ago, I went to an extremely conservative Christian university for Music Education.

Ah, the Bible Belt culture of American Evangelicalism… what a joke.

Instead of getting a degree to become a band director, I walked away from that town 4 years later with a PhD in street pharmaceuticals and metaphysics. I did not get tied in with nice people. I did not get tied in with nice things. I was a hustler, the best breed to find – honest, sexy, and could party like one of the guys – but I also was vulnerable during that time. I basically flipped the bird at the Heavens and started digging into the occult, metaphysics, paranormal… whatever you want to call it. I can only describe it now as playing with wimpy demons.

However every once in a while a powerful one shows up…

That's why I left west Texas.

I'd had my ears gauged to a double-zero. I've had my septum pierced, an industrial, a princess albertina, criss-cross barbells on both of the "girls", as well as multiple surface piercings. My hair has gone from its natural reddish-brown, to I-Love-Lucy red, to green, to blue, finally an awesome mix of black and purple, before I grew out of the crazy hair color phase.

All in all, I've been there and I have done that more than once. My T-shirt has holes in it.

Sadie and I got back from our adventure and I went to the bathroom, turning on the hot water in the bathtub. As I undressed in front of the mirror, I reached down and very gingerly traced the scars that ran from my ribcage down to my left thigh. I can almost still feel the burn. As I turned around to grab a towel from the cabinet, I saw in my reflection the other matching scars that drew lines across my back and my shoulders. One of these claw marks is still visible on my neck despite my attempts to hide it.

I shuddered. This has been a man repellant over and over again. They can "handle anything" that these scars tell stories of, but they are always proved wrong. The fact that I have something uncontrollable and damned following me around does not do wonders for the macho psyche.

I have started thinking that possibly it's the same flavor of demon that tormented Paul in the Bible… that his only hope for sanity and joy was to wholly depend on Christ. That was how he could survive the creature that kept everyone at arms length from him.

Maybe I'm supposed to stay single.

That next Friday I went into work early to do minor damage control and to take care of any major emails. Fortunately for me, my queue was light for once. At nine a.m. I booked it out of the office. Grabbing a Muscle Milk shake at the gas station around the corner, I started off on the long drive to DFW Airport. The drive is really not that long, but the Dallas traffic and all the construction going on makes it hell.

I checked into the Express North lot and took a deep breath. The last time I had seen Holly was when I was helping her pack to move to Las Vegas. She'd been married for about a year when the guy who had stuck with her since I'd known her seemed to just go off the deep end.

Long story short, this is my sister, my only good friend who lived remotely close by, and she had to move to Vegas to escape the damage from her failed marriage, the dangers of her violent now-ex-husband. I've missed her so much since. It's hard to live in the Dallas Metroplex without any close girlfriends. She keeps trying to talk me into moving there with her, but I haven't come up with a real good reason yet. We talk on the phone at least once a week, however it'd been almost two years since I last saw her.

So it's safe to say, I was ecstatic about reuniting with her again.

I hiked to a shuttle bus pickup station and mixed in with the long, sad procession of people heading to the stressful hustle and bustle of the airport. I exited the bus at baggage claim and wondering through the carousels until I located the particular one for her flight number. I checked my watch. Ten-thirty a.m. Right on time.

"HOLLY!" I screamed as she walked out to the luggage pickup area. Her whole flight from Vegas was working their way through and wow… people from Vegas are weird. Lots of strangeness and beauty all rolled together.

"Hey Bitch!" She hollered and dropped her bag on the floor, running for me. She tackled me and slammed me up against the wall, laughing.

"Okay lesbo, chill out." I giggled, watching to looks we were getting from other people in the bay.

We walked to the baggage conveyor and waited. Holly began to tell me all about her flight; there was an old woman behind her that snored the entire way, the male flight steward that she prayed was secretly straight… I zoned out after that. Slowly we were joined by others waiting for their luggage.

I caught a whiff of an excellent cologne as a couple of men came to stand beside us. I took a deep breath and choked the urge to ask the stranger what it was that he was wearing, but I cut my eyes over to see who smelled so delicious. It was like heaven and sex rolled together.

I almost fell over trying not to laugh aloud. My sight was filled with a bicep as big as my head.

I tried to be subtle as I looked beyond that giant arm. The man was the same size and build as my father, just with more muscular definition. He had dark thick hair and piercing blue eyes; all in all he was very handsome.

Before I realized how long I had been looking at him, he made eye contact with me. He flashed me a gorgeous smile… wow.

_Shit!_

I blushed and turned quickly back to Holly, who had not stopped talking yet. I heard him giggle softly from my reaction. He was too damn pretty.

Soon the luggage started rolling in. The Hulk and the two guys with him kept picking up large black boxes, looked more like electronic gear than personal items. One of the guys was as tall as him, leaner, with slicked back hair and a 5-o'clock-shadow forming on his face. The other had a shaved head with a goatee, and he kept making goofy remarks about their luggage.

"Damn, Zak, you travel worse than a girl."

The Hulk scowled, "Most of this is your crap."

"Well at least I don't have a manpurse like Nick," Goatee said, looking over at the other man, Nick I suppose, who hoisted a black shoulder bag over his head and smirked.

"Just 'cause I'm man enough."

"Sure, whatever you say, G."

They had a luggage cart with them that they loaded all of these black cases onto. Holly noticed this and cracked "What, are you guys moving?"

Nick looked over at us and smiled a warm smile. "No, this is film equipment."

I could still feel the Hulk's eyes studying me. I fidgeted, nervous. I was wearing my grey pinstripe pants from work and a blue plunged-neck top that was kept appropriate by a white laced cami… and I was wearing my favorite shoes, 6 inch shiny fuck-pumps that were the same teal blue as my shirt. My makeup was better than usual and my hair was behaving today, more ringlets than fuzz, for once.

So I suppose I was worth a looking-over, but still…

Holly's pale green duffel bag and suitcase finally crept around the conveyor. Finally. I grabbed both and turned to her, "Is that it?"

"No, one more bag." She rolled her eyes. "Sorry. You know me."

"No shit."

A black suitcase with pink polka-dots crept into view. She grabbed it and set it on its rollers. I pulled on the handle of the green suitcase and started to swing the heavy green duffel bag over my shoulder, when suddenly it was weightless. I whirled around to see the Hulk holding it, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Would you girls like to pile your stuff on this cart? We don't mind. We're heading out to rent a van."

Goatee already had the polka-dotted suitcase in his hands. "It'd suck to have to drag these all the way out to the parking lot."

"Wow, thank you," I began to untangle myself from the duffel's cheap shoulder strap, grateful of the giant arms that relieved me of Holly's inability to travel light. He came closer to lift the strap the rest of the way over my head. There's that damn smell again.

"No problem." And there's that damn smile again.

Holly handed him the other suitcase, eyeing him suspiciously. Then she turned to Aaron. "Thank you, gentlemen. I'm Holly."

Nick laughed at the surprised look on Hulk's face. "I'm Nick." He reached out and shook her hand.

Goatee strapped down the cart's cargo and started to push it. "I'm Aaron! Where are you ladies from?"

"I'm Desiree. I live here, Holly's just visiting."

"I'm Zak," said the Hulk, offering his hand to me. I gave him a nervous mechanic's handshake, then blushed and put myself on the other side of Holly from him. I forget that most broads don't usually deliver the strong handed approach Whatever, I blame my years as a mechanic back in west Texas. Old habits die hard, but I still embarrass myself from it.

We all walked outside and I smacked myself on the forehead. "Holly, all of this stuff won't fit in my car!"

"What do you mean? I thought you had the Bravada."

I used to have an old Oldsmobile Bravada, and it was the shit. Had more stickers on it and more memories in it than any other car I'd owned, but it was a major gas guzzler and I just couldn't afford it. Plus my Rex was SO much more appealing.

"No, I sold it to a kid at my folks' church. I have an RX-7 now."

The guys looked at each other, Zak finally spoke up, "What year?"

"Eighty-eight. Tenth Year Anniversary Turbo II."

Nick sighed wistfully, and Zak laughed, "Well, if we don't creep you out we can take your luggage wherever you need to go. We don't have anywhere to be for the next few hours."

Holly looked at me, shrugging. I rolled my eyes. This is how missing persons cases are created, right?

"Where are you guys staying tonight? I don't want you driving all over the Metroplex to play knight in shining armor for the car girls."

"We're staying at a hotel near here; this is just a layover flight. We're heading out to Cali tomorrow afternoon."

I winced. I lived about an hour from the airport, with the way Dallas traffic is. "That's quite a bit of gas…"

Really Holly and I are well-versed enough in self-defense, as well as just being downright annoying, that if these guys _were_ bad news we would live to tell about it. In fact Holly would use it as bragging rights.

"Hey, it's no problem. Gas is covered." Aaron said. "I personally don't want to stare at a hotel wall all day anyway. We don't have anything to do or anywhere to be until this afternoon."

Holly grinned. "Let's go, then!"

Zak wheeled off to the car rental area, and I set out to get my car from the lot before they charged me for another hour. Holly stuck around the guys to do some flirting.

Her specialty.


	3. Rotors and Opportunities

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron are NOT owned by me; however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**II – Rotors and Opportunities**

The deep rumble of my Turbo II rotary engine is therapeutic.

I've had the engine rebuilt – ported and everything – with racing seals. Everything in the engine bay that was originally plastic or rubber has been replaced with steel or silicone. She runs rich, purrs like a tiger, and can handle more pounds of boost than she could when she was stock. I worked a lot with Rotary Performance, Cobb Tuning, and Racing Beat over the past two years. Over that time period I've purchased and we've installed upgrades for the turbo-charger, fuel injectors and pump, fuel pressure regulator, intercooler, and installed a free-flowing exhaust system. Rotary Performace even installed a Mazdaspeed oil cooling system to combat the wear and tear on this notoriously finicky engine.

The only toy that I'm really missing is a sick blow-off valve, but I've been more than patient with this car, only purchasing parts and labor when I can afford it. It will be worth the wait.

I sat for a moment and let the engine warm up, giggling every time it backfired. Once it was warm I taxied it around to where the guys' rental van was parked, just outside of the luggage bays

After putting it in neutral and throwing the e-brake, I revved just a bit to announce my arrival. The turbo sang and after it spooled back down there was another farting backfire.

Classy.

Nick came bounding out of the van, shouting "Shotgun!"

Ironically my phone buzzed with a text message at that same moment. _These guys seem alright. I'll ride with them …Besides Nick wants to experience a true sports car ;) _Damnit, Holly. I laughed and shook my head.

As we closed the van with the last bit of luggage loaded, I looked back at my Rex. Zak was in the process of climbing into the driver's seat, and Nick was already vibrating in the passenger's seat. Both were giggling like little boys on Christmas morning.

"Oh, NO, sir. You may NOT drive this car! Besides, I'm not sure your arms will even fit where you could steer."

Nick laughed, "Damn, bro!"

Zak deflated and backed out of the car with a sheepish look on his face. He closed the door and leaned in the window. "I get to ride shotgun later!" he said, shooting a look at Nick.

I hopped in and cranked the stereo. Waving at Aaron in the van I mouthed "Follow me"

As we snailed along through the hell that is Dallas lunch-hour traffic, I blared Deadmau5 to keep awkward silence from setting in. I couldn't tell if Nick was into it or not, but he had a very convincing game-face on. Good thing, too; I was aching to test out my new speakers and hadn't really had the chance to cruise with them yet.

Two weeks ago I had just installed the first half of my new Alpine/Kenwood sound system in the car, so at least the bass didn't have the buzzy and crackly undertones that it had before. I was waiting on the next paycheck to finish building and installing the amp and speaker cabinet for the trunk. Still, for an unfinished project, it delivered pretty well.

We pulled into the QuikTrip off 183. It's a basic gas station, but also has ridiculous fountain drink options and other foodsies like fruit and salads. Plus, they are one of the few places nearby that offer the levels of octane in their gasoline that my car needs to run properly.

I saw the van door swing open as Aaron pulled up behind me. Holly bounced out of the van and skipped towards the store.

I powered down, pulled the lever to open the fuel door cover, and climbed out of the car. Nick got out as I popped the trunk and pulled out a small bottle of 2-stroke oil and a funnel.

Zak and Aaron stared at me – either in awe or in horror – as I emptied the little bottle into my gas tank. After engaging the gas nozzle, I finally acknowledged their faces with a smirk. "Not big Wankel engine fans, are we?"

Aaron barked a laugh and Zak's eyes grew wide, snickering, "WHAT kind of engine?"

"Wiki it," Holly gigged at Aaron, "Rotary engines are designed to burn oil"

Crap. Lecture time.

I nodded. "The way the engine is designed is to use one housing to play all four strokes within one 360-degree rotation of a rotor. Therefore, the engine has a jet valve that pushes oil into the combustion chamber to keep the movements fluid. However, the notorious problem with these engines is that the oil jet valve doesn't always spray enough oil to keep the seals lubricated properly. Premixing is the best remedy."

I gave a pat on the car's roof. "I spent four grand rebuilding this motor; it's worth the extra couple bucks for the oil and funnel per gas tank."

Zak smiled and began walking towards the store. Nick laughed as he joined us, "My God, are all Texas women as hard core as you ladies?"

Holly winked and flashed a vicious grin. "Not in the slightest. Wait 'til you see how we party."

Aaron was still in the gutter. "But… why is it called 'Wankel'?"

A moment later Zak returned with two giant cans of Monster Rehab.

"You read my mind," I muttered as I fished my wallet out of my bag. _My turn._ I returned the nozzle to the gas pump, closed the fuel door and turned to go into the station.

A strong hand landed on my shoulder, causing me to freeze. Zak reached around me, holding one of his Monster cans in front of my face. "Glad to hear it."

_Wow, that was really nice of him…_

"Um… Thank you, Zak."

He winked and cracked open his drink, took a swig, and turned to Nick. "My turn to ride in the badass car."

I balked. "You are not drinking that in my car."

"Why not?"

"Is it sugar-free?"

"No…"

"Sticky."

I heard Holly snort, trying not to laugh out loud.

Zak looked defeated, in a sad puppy dog kind of way. I smiled at him and gave him a pat on his shoulder. "Let's go. Holly, in case we get separated, do you remember how to get to the apartment?"

She gave me a "Duh" look and opened the front passenger door of the van. "Of course."

"Great. See ya'll there."

We all loaded back up in the vehicles and pulled out of the gas station.

I taxied back out onto the freeway and boosted. Fourteen pounds. Delicious. You could hear the turbo-charger scream even over Rob Swire's gorgeous voice.

As we made it to a toll road, the traffic lightened up. I slid Nick a wink, cranked a Split & Jaxta track on my stereo, and switched over in to "Speed Racer" mode. I felt goosebumps course over my body as the engine roared. Ten miles later I exited and drove the rest of the way to my apartment slowly, letting the engine calm down. We beat the van to the apartment complex by fifteen minutes.

As I threw the e-brake and let the car idle down, I turned down the music and looked over at Nick.

"Nick, what do you guys film?"

He glanced at me sideways, as though he couldn't believe what I was asking. "Do you watch the Travel Channel?"

"No cable. Can't afford it."

Nick laughed, "But you can afford this car?"

"Priorities, my friend. Priorities."

He grinned. "Good point. Well, we do a show on the Travel Channel called Ghost Adventures."

"Oh." Alright, I don't want to hear anymore.

Silence.

He looked at me. "Not a fan?"

"Of ghosts? Definitely not."

He almost looked defensive. "Why? Not enough proof?"

I shot daggers at him. I've collected plenty of evidence of the paranormal and the demonic over the years, I don't need to watch a show to remind me of what terrifies me. "So what else do you guys do?"

He sat there for a moment, studying me, trying to decide if I'm a skeptic or a victim – I was just fine with him not knowing.

He sucked in air and looked down at his phone. I could tell he wanted to ask me more about why I was avoiding talking about his show. Thankfully, he held back. I turned off the car and got out, Nick following suit. I locked the doors and cracked open my energy drink.

"So…" Nick looked around at the basic apartment buildings around us. "What's it like living here?"

I laughed. "Exciting. I'm constantly having to send in maintenance requests and I've had to call in more than four noise complaints. The cops visit this complex a lot."

He raised an eyebrow. "That sounds kind of dangerous."

"I guess."

"And you live here by yourself?"

I smiled. "No, actually I have a giant dog for a roommate. You'll meet her when the guys get here."

We moved on to other topics. He told me about his wife and daughter. We discussed music, from styles to production process to live shows. Finally we saw the van pull into the lot.

"Where have ya'll been?" Nick joked as they piled out of the van.

Aaron rolled his eyes. "This isn't exactly the fastest set of wheels, dude."

The men each grabbed one of her bags to take in, which I thought was very chivalrous. I grabbed my purse and holly's carry on and led them to my building. As I started climbing the stairs Aaron called out behind me "By the way, what floor do you live on?"

"Third. All the way to the top," I said. I heard a couple of groans behind me and giggled.

We stepped into my apartment and I sighed in relief. I love this ghetto little place. The guys set Holly's bags by the front door and started to move into the living room, but they froze when they heard loud thumping coming from the other room.

"Sadie-bearrrrrr!" Holly cooed as I went to the noise and let my dog out of her kennel. She pin-balled off of everyone and everything in the apartment for about two minutes before she realized there were three strangers in her apartment.

She's a rescue dog, and her former owners had starved and abused her pretty badly. I don't know her whole history, but she's very wary around strangers, mainly men. On a positive note, she loves to play with children and other dogs.

She went into protective mode. She came and stood next to me, leaning against my leg. She shot her tail up, lowered her head, popped her back-hawk up, and let out a menacing growl. The guys each took a step back.

I made comforting noises to her and told them "She's just shy around strange men. I promise she won't hurt you guys." _I hope…_

Zak crouched down on one knee towards her and she inched towards him. She sniffed his outstretched hand, and then rubbed her head on it. He grinned.

"Sweet girl," he murmured to her.

At this she jumped on him, her front paws on his shoulders, her tail wagging so hard her whole backside was dancing. She snuffled his face, then slid down his body to roll over onto her back at his feet. He laughed.

I shook my head. This dog is so weird.

"I guess she doesn't have as much of a problem with strange men as you thought," Zak winked at me.

Actually, she does. I'm not sure why she immediately took to Zak.

_Impressive._

I looked around, realizing Holly had disappeared. I peeked around the corner into my bedroom and saw her flung onto my bed. "Oh, party girl, you aren't going to drag me out tonight? You're breaking my heart."

"Fuck you" She mumbled.

Aaron shuffled, obviously wanting to have a seat but not sure if he should. "Well guys, I guess we should get going."

I whirled around. "Oh you guys don't have to. I mean, there's nothing interesting here, but I'm not kicking you out!" I went to the fridge and pulled out four Shiner Bock bottles… better make that 5, I thought. Sure enough, as soon as I cracked the first one open Holly bounced into the kitchen. "Gimme!"

I brought each of the men a bottle and they stared at the glass. "Shiner?"

"Yeah. 90% of why I'm proud to be a Texan."

Aaron took a sip and set the bottle on the counter.

"Is it bad?"

"No! It tastes amazing," he smiled. "I'm just not much of a drinker."

We sat around a talked for a little longer, while Zak and Nick taking turns wrestling with Sadie. A couple times they brought up paranormal things and every time I bit my tongue. I didn't have anything to add to the conversation that wouldn't sound spiteful or negative towards them about it. I can't help it; I just have too much pent-up venom and inherited too much of my mother's razor sharp tongue to really sound neutral.

I slipped away from the others to the kitchen and began to unload the dishwasher. The bar in the kitchen opens up to the living room. So, I was still in the conversation, but had room to keep my discomfort to myself.

Nick noticed the sour look on my face, mouthed "I understand" to me, and stood up. Brushing the dog hair off of his jeans, he gestured to the other two men and said, "Guys, we better get going. We've got a meeting in an hour."

The guys finished their beers and set the bottles on the bar. Holly gave each man a hug and a peck on the cheek. "Ya'll should let Desiree know when you'll be in the area again. She could take you clubbing or something… show you the ropes around DFW." She slid me a wink. "I might make an appearance for that."

I snickered as I gave Nick a hug. I was thinking more like a rodeo or something just to watch them squirm, but whatever. Clubbing isn't the most unoriginal thing she could've said.

Nick smiled. "Actually, we'll be back down here in a couple months for a concert in Austin, we can probably fly into Dallas and visit around then." Zak looked over at him, like a child hoping that his daddy will let him play.

Holly took a step back. "Linkin Park and Mute Math?"

"And Incubus!" Zak and Aaron chimed in.

I felt a rush of adrenaline… kind of a mix of _oh no_ and _awesome_! "Small world."

Holly whooped. "Hell yeah! Des and I are going to that concert too!"

Zak looked at me and blushed, grinning. Whatever that meant.

Aaron hugged me tightly and then let go, clapping once. "Okay so we need to fly into Dallas and all of us together can carpool down there."

"So you wanna road trip it?" Holly grinned. "You boys may want to come down a couple days early then, or plan to stay several days afterwards. Lots of fun shenanigans between Dallas and Austin."

I glanced over at Holly. _Really, girl, why are you pushing the envelope?_


	4. Stress and Beer

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists/people are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**III – Stress and Beer**

Holly continued, oblivious to my glare. "I'm thinking Fredericksburg, Schitterbahn, Shiner…"

Well… at least the woman has good taste.

I put the empty beer bottles in my recycle bin and turned around, nearly running into Zak, who was standing right next to me.

_Where did he come from?_

It was borderline too close for comfort. He towered over me, but he had this look in his eyes that was so… I don't know. Was it affectionate? I wouldn't call it vulnerable, or happy. Not sad though, either.

I blushed from his gaze and tried to ignore it. "What do you think, Hulk? Ya'll up for some exploring in the Lone Star State"

He grinned and his expression in his eyes became crystal clear. It wasn't really affection, but it definitely was interest, maybe even attraction. _Please, no…_ "That sounds good to me."

Holly whipped out her phone to get their numbers, and continued to make flirtatious comments as they made plans. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. _This isn't a damn fairytale, Holly._

"Excuse me for just a second," I muttered. I quickly went to my bedroom and changed into running shorts, a Franconia T-shirt, and my running shoes. I grabbed my iPod and Sadie's leash, and then returned to the living room. I ignored Zak's eyes on my legs and stood by the door as the guys began to say their goodbyes to Holly. Giving Holly a searing glance, I clipped Sadie's leash on her and walked the guys out.

We had reached the parking lot when I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Do you honestly want to hang out with us again?" Zak asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" I turned to face him. The guys went on to their van.

"I dunno. I just assumed that because of what you believe that you are repulsed, and I didn't want you to feel pressured into something just because Holly offered."

I cocked my head at him and forced a large cheesy smile. I placed a hand on his shoulder, just at the base of his tree trunk neck. "You don't even know what I believe, Mr. Bagans. And there are plenty of reasons why I'm not repulsed by you or your friends."

He squeezed my shoulder gently and pulled me into an awkward sideways hug. "Good to know."

I sighed and mentally smacked my forehead. I sounded like one of those dumb crazy broads that fall head over heels at the first man that takes interest. You know the type. Annoying, dumb, clingy… and it was made worse by his tone, which sounded like he was playing along in that game.

Time to kill that direction.

"Do we need to bring dates?"

He looked startled, to which I mentally smirked. "What?"

"Well I'm assuming Nick will be bringing his wife, I'm sure you and Aaron will want to bring girlfriends or main squeezes. Do Holly and I need to bring dates?"

"'Main squeezes?'" He laughed.

"Flavors of the week, arm candy, whatever. Take your pick."

He blushed. "Actually Aaron kind of has a thing for Holly. So I was going to offer… if _you_ need a date… I'd be glad to apply for the position."

I rolled my eyes. "Holly is too fast for a sweet man like him, but she'd be one hell of a date." I looked up at him. "Please don't let him fall too fast for her."

I've always been Holly's damage control. I love the woman; but… damn.

He took a step towards me and placed his hand again on the back of my neck. "Got it… but you avoided my offer." His thumb stroked just shy of my shoulder blade and he grinned boyishly.

I had stiffened at the touch, but I swallowed the anxiety. He was ALL up in my personal space. "I don't _need_ a date in order to go out, thank you very much. But I… I don't see why not. B-better than having two third wheels, r-right?" I tried to pile confidence into my forced smile but failed. He smirked.

Dick. He knew he was making me nervous.

He leaned in towards me, and I fought the urge to slap the hell out of him. _Or would pepper mace be more polite?_ His nose brushed my hair away from my ear and his lips closed in.

_You have GOT to be kidding me…_

"Agreed," he breathily whispered in my ear, allowing his lips to graze my industrial piercing's hardware. I gasped as I checked to make sure my heart was still beating, not caring if it seemed obvious.

He drew back slowly, keeping an unreadable smile on his face as his eyes studied my reaction.

_Are you always this slutty?_ I bit into my lower lip to keep from blurting out my thoughts.

Holly hung over the balcony railing above us, graciously giving me an escape. "Bye, guys! Be safe!"

"Bye, Zak." I said, still kind of shaky… Only at that point I wasn't sure if I was wavering because of anger or shock.

"See you girls soon." He smiled that damn smile again, gave me a wink, and walked away. He got into the van and we waved it off.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. _What the fuck…_

Sadie yanked on the leash, snapping me back to reality. I set up my Mobbing playlist on my iPod, patted her head, and we set off towards the neighborhood across the street from the apartments.

We ran for about 30 minutes, giving me plenty of time to cleanse my brain from my mild internal freak-out session with Zak. When I got back Holly was waiting for me, hands on her hips.

"What the HELL was that about? Was he… _flirting_ with you?"

_Not a damn clue,_ I thought. I just shrugged and rolled my eyes as I pushed past her into the kitchen.

I poured Sadie a bowl of food and started cutting up meat to make dinner. Holly pulled up her laptop and started Googling the guys' show, _Ghost_ Something. I set the meat in a skillet and began pulling vegetables out of the fridge to make a salad.

"Oh, my, GOD!" Holly whined from the living room. I dropped the spinach I was washing in the sink and dried my hands on my jeans as I ran to her. "What is it?"

"Zak is a fucking rock star, Des." She turned her laptop to show me the evidence. Web shrines, fan sites, fan-fiction that rated from G to NC-17, and lots and lots of pictures. His Twitter was full of flirtation and big-headedness.

I narrowed my eyes. "What the hell?"

She laughed "Don't you even try to say you're not jealous!"

"I'm not jealous. More like confused."

Actually, I wanted to be angry… make that furious.

_Girls go gaga over him…_

Which really, is not surprising, but it made me wonder if those thirty seconds of "intimate" contact I received from him were his M.O. If so I was _not_ going to be his "date" to the concert. I have no tolerance for douche-bags. I refuse to play their games and I can't stand being around guys who are high on themselves, who think they're the ultimate "ladies' man."

Holly looked at me knowingly and voiced my concerns. "So was he sweet on you because you're awesome, or was he sweet on you because he's a famous whore?"

I rolled my eyes. "Well I'm not _that_ awesome, and I'm pretty sure that my reactions to their ghost hunting bullshit turned him off."

She winked at me. "Well, actually you are kind of awesome."

"Whatever. Either way, if it does happen to be the latter, I'll trade you at the concert."

She smirked. She pointed to a picture of him online, shirtless. "Only because you begged me."

_Oh, damn… _"You evil skanky bitch."

"Yep."

* * * * * * _(One Month Later)_

I dropped my keys on the low bookshelf next to my front door and sighed. I immediately went to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer to take the edge off of what had been one hell of a day.

Lately my job was more than a little stressful. Our company was losing 90% of one of our top 3 customers' business, so the action plan to un-freeze raises was put on hold. Different departments were even being cut back on their hours, even though that made almost everything ship late.

I came in 5 years ago as a Material's Coordinator (a.k.a. Stockroom bitch) and had moved up to design a year ago, which was a pleasant change. Even though going from a workroom with 10 other people to having my own low-lighted office took some getting used to.

At least it wasn't a cubicle.

However, since I am the newbie in my department, I'm nervous about the discussions I'm overhearing from managers' and supervisors' offices.

_What if they do lay-offs?_

It had been about a month since Holly had come down for the weekend. We'd had a blast and were counting down the days until the concert in Austin.

I had talked off and on with the guys over Facebook and email. I had gotten into some massive debates over music with Nick. I had learned that Aaron was divorced, and we grew pretty close from sharing our experiences. It was nice to know that I wasn't the only person who had experienced a darkness that tormented us and drove away those we tried to get close to.

As for Zak… I didn't talk to him as much as the other guys. Honestly, part of me was still aggravated at him for getting so_ touchy_ with me. I convinced myself that he was flirtatious like that with most women he encounters, since I am SO not in his league.

I didn't think he was being genuine, and to be honest I really didn't want to know for sure if he was or not. He had written me several emails, and I'd responded half-heartedly to them. You can't tell if someone is being genuine over email, so I really had no evidence in the contrary to pull me out of my attitude about him.

On top of all of that, Holly had gotten herself into more man trouble and I had been on the phone with her every other night working through it. The guy she was dating was a high class douche. Handsome, wealthy, and really had no idea how to keep from growing bored with the beautiful women that he dated. Holly couldn't just leave him though, even when she caught him cheating, even if he got abusive with her. I kept telling her that one day she'll get hurt if she doesn't walk away now, and every time the answer is "Yeah, that's probably true, but I want to try to change him."

"What, like you changed your ex-husband?"

"James was a freak of nature."

"And you KNOW this guy isn't?"

"You don't know him, Des!"

"You're right. I don't. Let me know how that goes for you." I slammed the phone down. I'd answer for it tomorrow, but whatever.

_God, why does she have to learn every fucking thing the hard way?_

_I say the same thing about you... _I felt a peace fold over me and I let my high-strung freak-out session go.

I sighed. _I'm so quick to forget._ I popped open my little lime green thin line ESV Bible and dug around in Galatians again for a while. I'm still unable to get over Paul. If they serve beer in Heaven, I want to pick his brain over one.

Speaking of beer… I dialed Brian. "Down for a pint or two?"

"Just tell me where to go, Xena."

* * * * * * _(Two hours later)_

Brian and I met up at the bar around the corner from the office. He's my favorite coworker, because we both like RX7s and because we both drink good beer. He has a 3rd generation RX-7, which looks like either a sexier Dodge Viper, or maybe a beefed up Miata. It's sex red, and he is way more anal retentive with his car than I am with mine.

And he's almost as gorgeous as his car.

We probably would be dating, but we just don't want to cause drama at the company. Both of us are mature enough to handle it, but there are several people that we work with who are _not_… so, we just keep things at a platonic level for now. He's an awesome man.

A familiar guitar riff chimed on my phone. The opening guitar solo for Disciple's Be The Quiet is my message tone on my phone. I unlocked my screen and saw it was a text from an unknown number.

[_Only 3 more weeks!_]

I frowned and responded, [_Who is this?_]

Brian ordered us another round of Guinness, and I took a long, deep pull. I showed him the anonymous message. "Friend of yours?"

He grinned. "Nope. Must be one of your many boyfriends."

I snorted. "In your dreams, Tony Stark."

"Nah, Tony Stark does not like his favorite women to have a bunch of boyfriends." He slid me a wink and produced a cigarette, putting it to his lips.

"True."

He lit up and looked at me. "Wait, isn't that Las Vegas? Did Holly get a new phone?"

Holly had tried to date him at one point but never managed to get around to it. I think it was because he was more interested in me.

"I don't think so."

[_Its Zak_]

"Shit!" I didn't realize Holly had given him my number. Brian laughed, "that sounds promising!"

I rolled my eyes. "Just some hotshot from Vegas that I met through Holly," which was mostly true. Didn't want to go into the details of _who_ it was. I could imagine the never-ending ridicule. I decided to play it cool.

[_Oh, hey. Yeah, the concert is going to be the bomb. Mute Math is amazing live._]

I read it aloud as I typed, causing Brian's eyebrows to perk up. "What concert?"

"I'm going to see Incubus, Linkin Park, and Mute Math with Holly and some of her buddies next month."

My phone went off again. [_LOL Id never even heard of them before. But I'm more excited that I get 2 see u!_]

And there it is. Get real, prick. I typed back furiously, trying not to broadcast the frustration on my face. [_I'm sure all of the other girls you know in Texas are dropping their panties in anticipation, so if you get around to it…_]

Brian and I continued talking, drinking, talking, more drinking. I was soon buzzed enough that I bummed a cigarette from him.

"So, Brian, I've got almost enough to get the final toy for my baby," I said, wiggling my eyebrows at him as he handed me a Pall Mall.

He laughed. "What, your blow-off valve?"

"Yup."

He pulled out his phone and began typing a text message. "You know I was at R.P. a few days ago for them to check the compression on mine. Rotor number two seems to have been sluggish, lately."

"That blows."

"No pun intended." He gave me a sideways glance. "Jake is taking off all of the performance parts on his Turbo II."

"What?! _Why?_" Jake is one of the mechanics at Rotary Performance, and he has a beautiful 1988 Arctic Silver second generation that makes me jealous. The white of my car has grown on me, but the paint color on his car allows the body lines to be much more visible. It gives the car a much more aggressive and seductive stance.

"He's getting married. He's selling the car to buy her ring."

I giggled. "I hope that woman knows how much she must mean to him for that!"

He raised his glass to me. "A-men to that." He took a swallow, then turned to look at me earnestly. "The reason I bring that up is… well… He's selling some of the parts. One of which is a Tial B.V. fifty-millimeter blow-off valve."

My eyes grew wide. "Shut the hell up!"

He winked. "I have been talking with him about buying it, because I have been looking to upgrade my B.O.V. ...But since you don't even have one yet, I think I can let this opportunity slide." He returned to his message. "I'm checking with him right now on how much he's looking to sell it for. You may already have enough fundage."

"Brian, I love you. Did you know that?"

He held out his lighter for me to light up my cigarette. "I must love you too, to give up that damn piece."

"Well it's just because you're offering a toy that can support over eighty P.S.I."

"And my rugged good looks?"

"Oh, yeah, of course. That too."

He hit send on his phone, then reached out and shook my hand. "I'll take that. In the name of friendship, dearest." He raised his glass for yet another toast.

My phone buzzed again, snapping me out of my gear-head euphoria. [_Desiree, what makes you think I'm like that?_]

_What would make me think differently?_ I threw back the rest of the shot of tequila I was sipping on and dramatically slammed it down on the bar.

[_From what Holly and I saw online, I'd say it's pretty obvious that I'm nothing compared to the broads you bump shoulders with on a regular basis. You're a fucking sex pot, Zak!_]

Wow. Now I just sound like a jealous bitch.

I wish there was an un-send button… which means it was time to tap out. I paid my tab before the bartender gave me the chance to order another round.

[_Desiree, believe it or not I do have a private life. Most of the baiting crap is just publicity stunts. I don't even come up with all of it_]

I stared at my phone, chewing on his message. I came to the brilliant conclusion of "Whatev," and eyeballed my still-half-full beer.

[_So that one day, that wasn't just another ordinary day in the life of Zachary Bagans?_]

I chugged the rest of my Guinness, eliciting sarcastic "beer abuse" comments from both Brian and my bartender. I laughed, said my goodbyes, and I walked out to my car to let it warm up when my phone started ringing, playing a pounding Bloody Beetroots song.

"Bueno," I chirped, not thinking to check for the caller ID. Damn alcohol.

"Des, of course that wasn't just another day for me. You are an awesome, rare women. You're so energetic, but at the same time so reserved, like you're hiding a secret. I like it. There's something about you that sticks."

"That's because I'm severely ADD, and I've trained myself to just keep my trap shut than be pegged for a moron. As for the sticky part, I don't think I showered that day."

He laughed. "I am being serious though."

I sighed. Damn. "Zak, I understand what you are trying to tell me, but I cannot believe you. Too many men have been too good at deceiving me in the past, and I really don't know what to make of all the publicity about you online. You're just gonna have to prove yourself to me."

"What do you want to know?"

_Why do you have to be so pretty?_ I shook my head. Dumb broad.

"Nothing that I can actually ask you to tell me. It isn't that simple, it doesn't work that way. You're just going to have to be real enough until I believe it."

He was quiet on the phone for a moment.

I started rambling. "Not like it's going to make a difference in the long run, anyway. I mean, it's not like you come to Texas often. I'm sure I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. I guess I'll apologize for playing the crazy-broad card." I forced a laugh. "So don't worry, Hulk."

He stayed quiet for a few more seconds, then "Desiree, don't worry. I may be making too big of a thing out of it too, I'm sorry to stir the pot."

Whoa. Wait a second…

_Too big of a thing?_


	5. A First Date and the Spotlight Curse

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron and any other real-life characters are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists/bands are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**IV – A First Date and the Spotlight Curse**

My eyes snapped open. "What do you mean?"

Zak's smirk practically crawled through the phone and danced in front of my face. "Well if I opened up on that, you still have no cause to believe anything I say, so I think it's pretty irrelevant at this point, right?"

I giggled. "Touché."

"I just don't want you to think that you can't take me seriously."

I sighed. "I'll give it a shot."

"Also…" He paused, a bit of nervousness in his tone, "I did want to confirm that you will still be my date for Austin?"

"If you're lucky enough…" the liquor in me added a damn flirtatious tone to my voice. He giggled.

Ugh.

"Is it okay that I called you?"

"As long as you don't ever ever drunk dial me," I said.

_And as long as I'm not drunk I'll answer... Other than tonight. Dumb-shit, Desiree._

"Word. I'll talk to you soon, Desiree."

"Goodnight Zak."

I put the car in gear and headed home on autopilot. What just happened?

* * * * * * _(Three weeks later)_

Holly and I checked into a dingy motel in the outskirts of Austin. It looked run down to the point that it probably should have been condemned a couple years ago. I felt eyes on me as we unloaded our bags out of Holly's Mazda, but I kept my eyes focused on the ground as we dragged our luggage to our room.

The original plan was to fly to Corpus, then use a rental to work our way around Texas with the guys before heading to Austin for the concert. In the end though, we decided it'd be better to get the concert over with first, and then play around the Lone Star State afterwards.

Honestly… it was an opportunity for damage control. If Holly or I needed to bail because of getting hurt, (or if my anxiety took over,) we had an out.

So plan B was for Holly and I to take my car down to Austin… however budgeting ruled in my favor. Holly has a Mazdaspeed 3, which gets better gas mileage than my Rex. Plan C for the win.

She was pissy about driving her car because it's currently still in "project-car" mode, and will be for about another year or so; Bare boned, stripped of a sound system, with a stock body covered in panels of primer-gray and white.

Outside of Austin Music Hall, Holly and I milled about nervously. She was wearing a very low-cut black tank top and ripped shorts. Her hair was back in a pony tail, and she had gone all-out on the accessories, black and blingy sandals and jewelry.

I had my hair up in a clip, since Austin is too humid for my hair to look like anything but a brillo pad. I had on shredded jeans and a black tank top over a lime green cami and I was wearing my worn out electric blue converse. I had my silver gauges in my ears and a black and green pooka shell necklace on.

Not quite as flashy as Holly, but what the hell. I don't like shorts, and I'm too ADD to keep up with a lot of pretty jewelry.

Suddenly we heard our names being called through the crowd. We both swiveled around to see Zak's arm sticking up over the mass of people.

"Hey!" Holly called, jumping and waving. Soon the rest of Zak's body became visible, in dark worn jeans and a black T-shirt with Affliction-style designs across it. Aaron was on his heels, wearing a black button up top embroidered with skulls and black Dickies. Nick followed suit, wearing cargo shorts and a plain grey T-shirt, dragging a woman in tow.

Aaron made it to us first and immediately gave Holly a hug, letting it linger a little longer than what would be considered "platonic." I grinned. Apparently he and Holly have had some interaction since the airport.

I was snapped out of watching my best friend when Zak filled my line of sight, smiling like junior high boy at his first dance. I felt his arms wrap around my waist and twirl me in the air. I gripped at his shoulders to steady myself as he finished spinning us around.

"So good to see you, again!"

As he set me down he gave me a peck on the cheek as my face slid past his. I stared up at him. His eyes looked almost ice-green today, and his dark hair was spiky and raked forward into a feaux-hawk. "Hi, Zak."

I broke contact with him to give Aaron a sideways hug, then turned to Nick. Nick gestured towards the woman standing next to him, wearing a loose white top and denim shorts with lots of jewelry. "Holly, Desiree, this is my wife, Veronique."

I smiled and shook her hand. She was a beautiful woman, a couple inches taller than me, with flowing blonde hair. "Very nice to meet you, Veronique. I've heard a lot about you!"

She smiled warmly as she returned the handshake. "Please, just call me V. I've heard a lot about the two of you as well," She cut her eyes over to Aaron and Zak. Aaron deflated a bit and blushed, but Zak just shrugged and gave me a goofy look.

"How was the flight?" Holly asked, still arm-in-arm with Aaron.

Nick shrugged. "Not so bad, since we are baby-free this week." Veronique laughed and nodded gratefully.

"It would have been better if someone hadn't been snoring in my ear the whole way," Aaron joked, pushing Zak in the shoulder.

"Maybe you can sleep between songs, Aaron," I giggled. I made hand motions to herd us towards a growing line outside of the building. "Let's start heading in, ya'll."

We worked our way through the crush of bodies, finally finding a semblance of a line. I felt one of Zak's hands fall on my shoulder and I breathed in his scent, taking a small step back to acknowledge the contact. His thumb rubbed my shoulderblade in response.

As we waited, we made small talk; planning the rest of our trip, gushing about which band we were more excited to see. Eventually Holly turned the conversation into a game of commentary. Challenge accepted. I've always been varsity at people-watching.

When Holly and I are out in public together, it's like Mystery Science Theater 3000 on steroids.

We finally made it into the concert hall and worked our way to the balcony. We went to the stage-left corner and claimed some bench space. Zak sat on my left and put his right arm around behind me on the bench, leaning his weight on it to allow a small amount of contact between his chest and my left shoulder. Holly sat on my right, and Aaron to the right of her.

Veronique sat down between Zak and Nick, leaning hard on her husband's chest to say something to him amid the dull roar of the people around us. He nodded and motioned to Zak. Both of them got up. "Anyone want something to drink?"

Aaron started to get up, but Zak held out a hand. "Nah, man, you watch our seats." He winked at me as if daring me to turn it into a sexist remark, but I just laughed.

"Yes, Aaron, please protect us poor girls and our seats!"

Nick rolled his eyes. He took out his phone to jot down what we wanted, then he and Zak disappeared into the crowd.

I heard a familiar guitar tone come below us from the stage. Jason, MuteMath's main guitarist, was standing off to the side of center-stage, tuning one by one the guitars that they had set up. Andrew came out and began tinkering with his drum set, adjusting pitches, changing the heights and angles of assorted cymbals and toys, testing out the heads and levers.

I felt my breath catch as Pete came out on stage to set up Andrew's electronic equipment and test the keyboards. I've been following him and Andrew since they were part of a band called Earth-Suit, back in my moralistic "only Christian music" days in junior high and high school. They had a very unique sound, and have carried quite a bit of that flavor over into this more mainstream band.

As they began mic-checks for their vocals, Nick and Zak returned quickly, as if they were running away from someone.

"Damned fans," Nick muttered. He gave a plastic cup of something red and alcoholic to Veronique. He leaned over us and handed a clear version to Holly, then sat down holding his beer and shaking his head.

Zak tossed Aaron a water bottle and sat down next to me. He pretended to ignore me, holding two water bottles in his lap.

After a few moments, I began to fidget. "Are you serious?"

He cut his eyes over at me, feigning shock. I poked him in the arm. "Dude."

He smirked and cracked open a bottle and handed it to me. I finished twisting off the lid and shook it at him, letting the residual water drops stuck in the cap hit him.

"Hey!" He wiped the condensation off of his bottle and flicked his hand at me.

I was about to pour my whole bottle on his perfect fucking hair when Holly grabbed my shoulder. "Children!"

I sighed and Zak laughed. "Don't start with me," he whispered to me, still giggling. "I'll win."

"We'll see."

He turned to face me, giving me another quizzical smile. "Yeah?"

I turned my nose up in the air, facing the stage. "Truce for now, though."

He put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed, chuckling. "Yes, ma'am."

Suddenly Mutemath dramatically burst into their first song. Everyone stood up and cheered, including us. The indie lead guitar riff filled the hall, driven by the drums, and I closed my eyes, smiling.

I watched Zak as their first song unfolded. He had a look of intrigue on his face as he listened.

Holly hooked her arm in mine and bumped me with her shoulder. We both grinned at each other and then broke into song along with Pete.

Their next couple songs were just as awesome. I didn't hear any old Earth-Suit tracks, to my disappointment, however they totally rocked it. They ended their segment of the concert with Reset, a live jam session lasting about 20 minutes. It was amazing to watch how they played off each other as they changed instruments around over and over again.

After finishing their last song, they began to break down their set. Guys carrying Incubus' gear began to trickle out onto stage.

Zak nudged me. "You're right. They're great live."

I smiled. I was enjoying this environment with him. He caught me watching him and his smile softened. I blushed and looked back towards the stage, but felt a large hand tentatively take mine and give it a gentle squeeze.

Physically, I acknowledged this with a squeeze back, but mentally I was rigid. I really did like him. I wanted so badly to just relax and enjoy the contact, but my anxiety wouldn't let me.

_He'll just fuck you over like every other man you've dated._

I sighed from my internal frustration, gave his hand another squeeze, and then broke the contact to fiddle with my water bottle.

I could feel his eyes searching me, but I ignored his gaze. Despite myself, I leaned a shoulder against him.

Incubus came out and, after a quick sound check, charged forward into their set. Very energetic and very passionate.

And it doesn't hurt that the lead singer is SO damn pretty.

I wasn't as into this set; they were playing a lot of their newer material. I kinda drifted off from being a die-hard fan after Morning View, because a lot of their music became too politically driven for me. Regardless, they brought it, and they brought it hard. I kept my eyes trained on the bass player with great interest throughout the entire segment.

We began to hear Zak and Nick's names being called behind us, but we all shared a look of "oh, brother" and ignored it. Incubus was still playing a song, for crying out loud.

As they wrapped up their set, I took the break as an excuse to sit back down on the bench.

"I love their bass player," I mumbled to myself.

"Why's that?" Zak was sitting next to me, leaning close to hear me. Oops.

"Heyyyyyy Zak!" I heard behind us. He didn't react, so neither did I.

"I played bass for an indie band in college, I've always had a passion for the instrument and its role ever since."

"Where did you learn to play? Was it part of your major, or did you teach yourself?" He leaned back on his hands, an impressed look on his face.

"My dad taught me. He played bass for bands all over DFW and took up giving private lessons when he retired."

He grinned, but didn't say anything. It almost made me uncomfortable. "Do you play anything?"

He barked a laugh and sighed. "Wow! Ah, I played piano since I was a little kid."

"Zak!"

He rolled his eyes but again didn't react.

"Me too, I've been playing since I was in grade school," I said.

We launched into a discussion of musical nerd-dom, and we became really engrossed in the conversation. We both had classical and modern training on multiple instruments. He had even done some recent vocal projects. He was pulling up a link to it on his phone to show me when I saw a hand tap him on his shoulder between us.

He jumped and turned around. There were five or six girls, no older than 21, who had worked themselves behind our seats over the last performance.

"You're Zak Bagans! Omigod! You're famous!"

He blushed and looked over at me. I crossed my arms and gave him a useless grin. This should be interesting.

They were the ones who had been cooing at him ever since the beginning of Incubus' last song, daring him to pay attention to them over the show. How rude can you get? Let alone how they kept trying to interrupt him while he was talking to me.

You know… his DATE.

Regardless, I was impressed at Zak's expert job in avoiding interaction with them, at least up until this point. Good man.

He shrugged at me. He took a breath, inflating his spotlight charm, and turned back to them. "Yeah, it's me."

_Even his voice sounds different,_ I noticed, smiling. His voice had the loud, swaggering arrogance sewn into it now.

"You're SOOOOOOOOO HOT!"

"May I get a picture with you?"

"Can I come to a lockdown with you?"

"Will you call my mom?"

He laughed and signed a couple autographs and let the girls pose with him, still unmoved from standing next to me.

Some of them left after that, but the three of the girls stayed put. Two were wearing very skimpy tops, tiny skirts, and too much eyeliner. One was wearing fishnets, another had glitter all over her bare skin and hair. Yet another was wearing a neon bikini with Daisy Duke's.

_What is this, a rave?_

They were obviously not satisfied with an autograph or taking a picture with Zak Bagans.

"You're SOOOOOOOOOO brave on your show. Do you ever get scared?" Glitter asked.

Nick looked up over his shoulder at Zak's audience and barked a laugh. He put his arm around Veronique and slid me a wink. I returned a raised eyebrow.

Zak puffed out his chest a little. "Well, yeah, sometimes. We all do."

She flipped her straw blonde hair out of her eyes and lunged for him. "Awww! That's so sad!"

_Really?_

Zak froze for a millisecond as she pulled him into a hug, but then returned it. Both arms wrapped around her tiny frame. He let go of her, and she slowly slid her hands off of him, giving him a sultry look. He smiled back. If there was any hint of "faking it for the fans," I couldn't see it.

_Come on, Desiree. You're the one who has been keeping him at arm's length. Chill out._

"How long are you in town?"

He blushed and shook his head, laughing. "Just tonight."

She pouted, throwing out a hip and leaning towards him, running a finger down his bicep. "Damn shame."

Fishnets piped up, "Where are you staying?"

At this point I sat down and just stared blankly at the stage.

"Well, uhh…"

"What are you doing later tonight?" Bikini asked, her voice dripping with seductiveness.

Nick and Veronique busted out laughing as Zak held his hands up. "Whoa! Slow down!"

Holly excused herself from the conversation she was having with Aaron to give me a sideways look. We were thinking the exact same thing, as much as I would refuse to admit it out loud.

My "date" was being interrupted because of a bunch of dumb girls who wanted to suck Zak's d*ck… well, more or less. I felt a twisting in my stomach and I turned towards Holly to try and distract myself.

Holly giggled at me. "You look like murder."

"What? Nothings wrong."

"Bullshit, Ray-Ray. You're jealous."

"Am not!" I would tell the same lie to a federal judge. Not jealous. At all. Period.

She gave me a wicked grin. "So those girls aren't bothering you?"

I took a deep breath and slowly shook my head. "Nah, I'm cool." I glanced back over my shoulder to see them still talking to him. Glitter was leaning in to talk to him with her hand draped over his right shoulder.

"…So, I would LOVE to see your dungeon sometime…"

I quickly jerked my head back around.

Holly screamed in laugher. "BUSTED!"

Aaron leaned over Holly, "This is why we don't really enjoy going out in public that much anymore." He tried on a miserable southern accent. "We just can't take that boy anywheres!"

He laughed, then saw my face. He slammed his mouth shut for a moment, his eyes wide. Then cocked his head and patted my knee. "Don't worry dude, it's not like he's gonna go with them to the bathroom or anything."

At this we three looked up and saw that Zak and the Three Sluttyteers were gone. I let out an exasperated laugh.

So damn ironic.


	6. Redemption and Sleep Deprivation

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, along with any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter V – Redemption and Sleep Deprivation**

_So, this is what he's like in public…_

Part of me knew my thoughts were irrational, but I couldn't help it. It felt like history was repeating itself. The last time I was at this concert venue… I shuddered from the memory.

_I WAS right,_ I thought. _I knew he was like this and I still walked right into it._

"Holly, remember our deal?"

She put a hand protectively on Aaron's knee. "What if I don't wanna?"

I stayed seated, staring at the stage as Linkin Park began to do sound checks. Nick and Veronique were off in their own little world this whole time, and Holly knew I needed to be left alone, so she talked Aaron into going with her to the bar. I felt the familiar anxiety begin to set in.

So much for an awesome road trip.

I felt two hands land heavily on my shoulders, and then a nose nuzzling my hair on the top of my head. I gasped, catching Zak's scent. I looked up at him as he stood over me, keeping my face blank. He climbed over the bench and sat down next to me.

"So sorry about that!"

"What happened?" I was trying to play it as nonchalantly as possible… but in my head, this "date" was over.

"Goddamn fans. They're great and all, but some of them just don't get the word 'NO!' And did you see the way they were dressed?"

I laughed, surprising myself. "Oh come on, they were just parading their sucky-daddy issues for you."

He giggled at that and nuzzled my neck, sending shivers down my spine. "Exactly."

I leaned away from him a bit. "So did you tell them where you were staying? Give any of them a phone number?"

He laughed, "No, ma'am, of course not!" He gave me a genuine smile, but it wilted as he saw the insecurity that was bleeding through my face.

"Desiree, I swear…"

I shook my head. "It's nothing."

Zak rolled his eyes at me. "Fucking hell, it's nothing."

"No, really! It's cool." Part of me _was_ upset with the whole situation with Zak, but most of my piss-poor attitude at the moment was spawning from bad memories and the emotional scars that followed.

He took my hand, interlacing our fingers. I fought an instinctive recoil.

He watched me closely. I could almost hear his thoughts: _How will you trust me if you won't talk to me?_

"So, you've been screwed over by an ex boyfriend?"

I sighed and nodded. "Here, as a matter of fact." I gestured around the music hall.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me close. "How's that?"

"I bought us tickets to a Deadmau5 concert for his birthday. He left me alone to go buy mollies from this one girl and… well… an hour and a half later he came back. He had taken both his and my shares of the pills, and didn't have to spend any money to get them." I shook my head. "So disgusting."

"What were _you_ doing?"

"Holding our spot by the stage."

"He got a free concert, a free fuck, _and_ free drugs for his birthday? You must've been one badass girlfriend!" He winked at me sarcastically.

"More like a babysitter, since he was rolling his balls off the whole rest of the trip."

Zak's eyes widened in disgust. "Jesus."

"Yeah, that was kind of the trend throughout the relationship. If I hadn't been so fucked up myself I would've caught on within the first 3 months."

"Can't imagine that ended well."

"No. After a year and a half of putting up with him, I walked in on him bumping rails of cocaine off of a seventeen year old girl's ass."

Zak's eyes were sympathetic, despite the smirk on his face. "Drugs are bad."

"Don't I know it!"

"Well, I'm not him."

"I know that." _I hope…_

He studied my eyes a little longer, then pulled his phone out of his pocket and dropped it in my purse.

I blinked. "What was THAT for?"

He grinned at me. "I'm YOUR date tonight."

"But I don't want your phone."

"I didn't ask if you wanted it."

I have never been one of those crazy jealous broads who demand to have full access to their man's phone. If I had, I probably would have saved myself from long term heartbreak a couple of times… but I just can't rationalize it.

Don't get me wrong, I CAN sound jealous. I will spew venom when I feel threatened. But I've never been so fearful of losing a relationship that I would resort to exercising control over it.

He must have noticed the concerned look on my face, because he gave me a reassuring smile and put a hand on my knee. "I'm just saying you're calling the shots tonight."

_Hmm..._

Okay, maybe the date isn't over.

I let out a sigh and leaned slightly into him. "Sweet."

I felt him chuckle to himself, then felt his lips on my ear. "Do you want to know those girls names?"

I shrieked and slapped at him but he grabbed my wrists playfully. "You can admit it, Des!"

"I was afraid I would be in the tabloids for starting the ultimate bitch-fight in Austin's known history… over a celebrity."

He let go of my wrists and wrapped his arms around me, pulling my left shoulder into his chest. He put a hand to the side of my head and pushed a kiss into my hair. He let his arms fall and turned to talk to Nick.

I glanced over our shoulders. Those three girls were still standing a couple of rows back from us up against the wall, scowling. I winked at them and put my hand in Zak's. Eat it up, bitches.

Linkin Park came on just then. We all jumped up and whooped. Holly leaned over to me and I heard her say, "You've gotta admit, he's good."

* * * * * * _(~1AM)_

As we made our way through the crowd towards the exit, Zak kept a steady grip on my shoulders the entire way. The parking garage was eerily quiet.

Holly took Aaron's hand. "So what are we doing now?"

Nick and Veronique shared a look. "V and I are gonna go out… without you guys."

Aaron whistled. "Oooooh, date night!"

Zak nudged me. "What about you?"

I shrugged. Honestly I was exhausted. "I'm actually kinda ready to call it a night."

Holly punched me. "6th Street is calling our names, though!"

I shook my head. "Meh."

Aaron stepped in for my rescue. "Dude, I'm worn out, too."

Holly slumped. "I swear; you're all senile old farts."

"Holly, we have to leave at like eight in the morning."

"Fine." She turned to Nick and Veronique. "Ya'll go ahead. We'll drop off the boys at the hotel. You should check out 6th Street, there are all kinds of restaurants there that are open all night."

Nick jingled a set of car keys in his hand. "Way ahead of you!"

We walked to the garage's elevator and waved off Nick and Veronique as they walked hand-in-hand to their car on the first level.

I pressed level three as the guys piled into the tiny elevator, then leaned against the wall. I was so tired, I could barely keep my eyes open.

Right as the door was closing, a hand waved over the sensor. The door shuddered and slid back open. I rolled my eyes.

What do you know? Glitter, Bikini, and Fishnets.

"Well, hey you. Fancy seeing you guys again," Glitter said, smiling at Aaron and Zak. Holly nonchalantly took a step back towards Aaron.

"Hey." Zak smiled at her and inched around beside me, putting an arm around my waist reassuringly. "Did you ladies enjoy the concert?"

Bikini shrugged. "It was okay. The first band was really shitty though."

I felt my eyes bug out for a moment but blinked and said nothing.

Fishnets crossed her legs to show off her figure as she leaned against the opposite wall from me. "So are… ya'll… hitting the clubs now?"

Aaron and Holly shook their heads. "I'm not," I said.

As if none of us existed, she ignored us and kept her gaze on Zak, waiting for a response.

He put his free hand on my shoulder. "No, we're not."

"Lame." She nudged Glitter and smirked at me. I felt my blood pressure begin to rise.

Just then, the elevator doors opened on level 3. The girls pushed past us, choking us with their perfume. Glitter leaned in close to Zak while she walked past. Snagging a finger in his front pants pocket, she shoved a piece of paper into it and gave him another smile oozing with seduction. "Just let me know if you change your mind…" she gave me a once-over glare, "and decide to have some real fun tonight."

I felt my face go beet red. She swung her ass out the elevator door, and we slowly walked out after her. As we headed towards Holly's Mazdaspeed-3 I could feel eyes watching us.

The girls were at their car, a blue VW Beetle two rows over from Holly's car. They were just standing there, watching us like vultures.

Zak stopped suddenly, motioning for me to go on ahead with Holly and Aaron.

Looking pointedly at the girls, he took the paper out of his pocket and tore into several pieces at eye-level. He threw the shreds into the air, staring intensely at the three women with a stoic look on his face. He then caught up with me, putting his hand on the small of my back.

Aaron and I hopped in the back seat as Holly turned over the engine. Zak stared threateningly for another moment in the direction of the Beetle, then climbed into the front passenger seat. His face was almost as red as mine.

As soon as he closed his door, Holly exploded with cackling laughter. "That was AWESOME!"

Zak shook his head. "Skanks."

Aaron reached forward and patted his shoulder. "You should be used to it by now, bro. You're gonna pay for that on Twitter."

"I know, dude. That was just too much."

I was still unable to speak. Some woman I didn't even know had openly hit on my date while I was right there. He even had his hands on me when it happened. It felt like a personal attack, and I wasn't sure how to react.

We pulled up to a nice hotel downtown and we all got out of the car. Aaron hugged Holly, whispering in her ear. Zak pulled me into a hug and pressed his face into my hair. "We really need to do this again sometime."

I nuzzled his chest. "Without the strippers, next time?"

"Agreed."

He dropped his arms and took one of my hands in his. He kissed my hand and winked before walking backwards to join Aaron in the lobby. "Good night, Desi."

I climbed into the front passenger seat and Holly eyeballed me.

"So what do you think?"

"I hope I never have a daughter. I'd kill her."

"I meant about Zak, dummy."

"Jury is still out on that one, lady."

She laughed and we peeled out of the lot.

At eight AM Holly and I pulled up in front of the guys hotel. As we entered the grandiose lobby, we spotted Aaron and Zak sprawled out on couches in the lounge, next to their luggage. I walked over to the couch that Zak had claimed and sat down on the arm.

Zak was passed clean out. And snoring.

Aaron raised his eyebrows at me and grinned. "See what I mean?"

I reached out with my pointer finger and lightly drew a line down his arm with my fingernail. He jumped and looked around, a panicked look on his face.

"Good morning, Sunshine," I giggled.

He ran his hands through his mussed hair and sighed. "Ugh."

Holly laughed, sitting down next to Aaron. "Grunt grunt ooga, Conan." She teased as Zak rolled up to a sitting position.

"Mmph."

I looked over at Aaron. "Where is the happy couple?"

He shrugged. "Beats me. We haven't seen them yet this morning. They were on a different floor than us though."

"Thank God for that," I heard Veronique say. We all turned to see her and Nick coming out of the elevator, dragging their luggage with them.

Nick rubbed his face and looked from Zak to Aaron. He sighed, "Aaron, why are you awake?"

Aaron puffed out his chest and grinned. "Starbucks. And I had to go trade in the rental car for something a little more hospitable."

Zak groaned. I plopped down next to him. "What's your deal?"

"I didn't sleep very well." He gave me a weary look. "As usual."

Whatever that meant.

Holly jumped up and clapped her hands. "Okay, ya'll let's go!"

Aaron produced a pair of keys and led the way out into the parking lot. He stopped at a jet-black Ford Flex.

"At least you didn't get a mini-van," Holly joked.

Nick rolled his eyes. "It's still soccer-mom material, dude."

"It seats up to 7 people!" Aaron argued defensively.

"But we are taking two cars anyway, bro."

I grinned. "At least we can carpool from the hotels, right?"

Aaron clapped my back. "Right!"


	7. German Beer and Vending Machines

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter VI – German Beer and Vending Machines**

Two hours later we arrived in Shiner, Texas. We stopped for brunch at a sandwich shop before pulling up to the Spoetzl Brewery.

"And THIS is where Shiner beer comes from, children!" Holly said as we met up with the others at the front door.

"Aaron, why did you bring your camera?"

Nick winked at Veronique. "Could be some Vlog materials that comes out of this trip, you know."

Aaron trained his camera on Zak and me. I gave him a finger-wave and Zak gave a wide-eyed cheesy grin, giving me bunny ears.

"They say everything's bigger in Texas."

I looked down at my chest, accentuated by my tight tank top, and rolled my eyes. "Bite me, dude."

"But I say, everything's _better!_" He panned the camera over to Holly. "This is one gorgeous Texas woman!" He let the camera drop to her feet and draw back up slowly to her head. She struck a pin-up pose for him and stuck out her tongue

"Can I kill him yet?"

We walked inside and Aaron spun the camera around the room.

"What's it called? Spoat-eezle?"

"No, Spoetzl."

"Spot-soul?"

"Aaron, just stop."

We signed up for a tour, which is a short but sweet walk-through of the brewing process.

And it gets you free beer for taste testing.

I'm not too much of a lightweight, but by the end of the tour I was pretty silly.

We poked around town a little longer, trying to sober up for the drive. Holly, Veronique and I wandered around the square, in and out of the mom and pop shops, but the guys stuck to the brewery.

Zak was begging the management at Spoetzl to let GAC investigate their old brewery building, but they wouldn't have it. Oh, well.

Finally around 3 o-clock, we loaded back up in our cars and headed to New Braunfels. We checked in at a quaint hotel and then started driving around in the Flex, looking for somewhere to eat.

Holly pointed at a cozy building with a red roof. The sign outside said "Oma's Haus."

"German. Let's go there."

"Cool."

After an hour of schnitzel, potatoes, mushrooms, sausages, strudel, and German beer, we dragged our full bellies back to the car and drove back to the hotel. I had a full-on food coma, and I was greatly enjoying it.

I went to the room that Holly and I had rented out. I changed into basketball shorts and a plain tank top and collapsed on my bed with my Kindle. Holly was down at the pool with Aaron, and I had no idea where Nick and Veronique went.

I was feeling my eyelids flutter when I was startled by a knock on the door. I groaned, rolled off of the bed and opened the door to see Zak.

"Hey. Come on in."

He stepped through the threshold, hands stuffed in his pockets. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, why?" I sat back down on my bed and leaned against the headboard.

He just blushed. "Jus' thought I could come chill with you for a bit."

He slowly closed the door behind him. There was something very unnerving about his quiet demeanor that I couldn't put my finger on. _What is he hiding?_

I narrowed my eyes. "Okay, out with it, Hulk. What's on your mind?" I patted the side of my bed, inviting him to come and sit down.

He sat down and rubbed his face. "I'm so tired but I can't sleep."

"Dude, it's not even dark out yet."

"I didn't get much sleep for the past several nights."

I crossed my legs and leaned forward. "Why is that?"

He shook his head. "My job!" He let out a half-assed laugh.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sometimes we have stuff that attaches to us while we are doing our lockdowns. Last week we were in a really dark place and ever since it's been next to impossible to actually get any sleep."

"What, you have ghosts following you around?"

"Not…" He shook his head and opened his mouth to start to say something, but paused. Apparently thinking better of it, he changed gears and looked at me. "This time the attachment seems to just be repeated gruesome nightmares."

"What about Nick and Aaron?"

"They aren't as big of targets because they aren't as mouthy as I am," he gave me a sheepish grin.

I studied him for a moment. In the public eye this man is a loud, brash, aggressive guy. He challenges demons and ridicules ghosts. But the man sitting on my bed is shy, soft-spoken, and almost vulnerable. No arrogance in his voice, no douchebag vibes.

I lightly put my hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. You're welcome to hang out in here if you need the company."

He shrugged and picked up the TV remote. "Thanks." I leaned back again and picked up my Kindle. Zak scooted back to sit beside me against the headboard.

He began flipping through channels, finally landing on some how stuff works show, or something. I was reading a book by Piper.

I felt Zak's body heat on my right shoulder and looked over at him out of the corner of my eye. He had inched closer to me and, by the conflicted look on his face, was trying to find a way to justify some sort of physical contact

I giggled and leaned forward a bit. "You could just try the old school yawn-and-stretch move, dude." I imitated the move, landing my right arm over his massive shoulders.

He laughed and blushed. "I was trying to be more creative than that."

I leaned towards him and directed his left arm around me. "Nah, this will work." I went back to my Kindle and sighed as I felt him pull my right shoulder into his chest.

I felt him reading over my shoulder as I was on a page that unpacked the concept of "Christian Hedonism." I nudged him. "Yes?"

"Oh, sorry," he whispered, but leaned forward to continue reading. I rolled my eyes and just handed him the tablet; someone reading over my shoulder is one of my major pet peeves. "Go ahead."

"I've never heard that term before, that's all."

I grinned as he handed the Kindle back to me. "A lot of people haven't."

I clicked off the screen and turned my attention to the television. It was one of those automotive shows, and the guys on the screen were cheesy and talking like their audience was in grade-school. I rolled my eyes and snitched the remote from Zak's side.

"Hey!"

I pointed at the TV. "This is garbage." I panned through the guide channel, looking for something palatable.

I found a channel playing the original Count of Monte Cristo and smiled. "This'll work." I set the remote down and leaned in to Zak, resting my head on his shoulder.

I don't know when I fell asleep, but the next thing I knew Holly was pushing down on my mattress repeatedly. "Wake up, love birds!"

I looked around. The clock on the nightstand said 12:30 AM.

Zak and I had both fallen asleep on my bed. He was still in a more or less sitting position and I had been cuddled up against him. His arm was still draped over my shoulders.

I blushed. Good grief. I untangled myself from him and sat up, blinking. The TV was still on the classic movie channel, playing The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Zak yawned and looked over at me, smiling.

"Ya'll are disgusting," Holly said.

"What?"

"Look at you! Wipe that silly twitterpated look off of your face, lady." She winked at Zak, "You too. Aaron's been looking for you. He says you have the room key."

Zak sighed and dug the key card out of his pocket. He tossed it on the nightstand, then suddenly lunged forward and wrapped his arms around me from behind, toppling us both back over onto the bed.

"Eek!"

Zak looked over my head at Holly. "Tell him I'm asleep"

I wiggled against him, but his arms were like a vice-grip. "Do I have a say in this?"

He his lips moved across my shoulderblades. "Not really, you're my lucky charm now."

I turned my head to give him a go-to-hell look. He smiled at me and whispered "No nightmares."

Holly had her hands on her hips. "She may have no say, but I do. I have to sleep in this room too."

"Go stay with Aaron." Zak winked.

She blushed. "No."

"Please?"

"Nuh-uh. Out! No boys allowed past curfew." She punched him in his shoulder as he turned me loose and stood up.

I giggled and got up, walking with Zak towards the door. I paused to dig some change out of my purse, looking over my shoulder at Holly. "It's junk food time. Want anything from the machines?"

"Nah, I'm good." She was already undressed and pulling a sleep shirt over her head, causing Zak to dart out of the room, blushing.

He laughed nervously as I joined him in the hall. "That woman has no shame."

"Nope."

Zak and I walked down the hallway towards the vending machines in silence.

"So, no nightmares, huh?"

He shook his head. "None at all."

We arrived at the end of the hall where there was a soda machine and a snack machine. Aaron was already there, trying to rock the snack machine.

"My Doritos are stuck."

"Sounds like a personal problem," I said, laughing.

Zak helped Aaron shake the bag of chips loose, then handed him the room key. "Here, dude, I'll be right there."

Aaron winked at me and headed off down the hallway.

I selected a bag of trail mix from the machine and dumped in my coins. I stood there facing the machine, waiting for it to register that I'd given it enough money. I noticed the reflection in the glass. I saw myself, with Zak standing over my right shoulder… wait a minute.

I whirled around. I had just seen a silhouette of a third person standing behind my left shoulder. It looked kind of like a man, only it was a foot taller than Zak.

Nothing was there.

"Oh, God."

Zak put a hand on my shoulder, causing me to jump. "What is it?"

I turned and looked back at the glass. The silhouette was still there, only now it was closer to me than before, and I could see a faint yellow glow from where its eyes would be. I yelped, clapping my hands over my mouth and scrunching my eyes shut.

When I opened them again, it was gone.

"Desiree, what's wrong?"

I gave him a blank look, then quickly pounded out the code for the damn trail mix and yanked it out of the drawer. "Nothing." I turned abruptly and practically ran back towards our rooms.

Zak snagged my elbow halfway down the hall. "What happened?"

"Nothing! God, it's nothing. Everything's cool." My voice sounded convincing, but my body was shaking.

He looked at me, mulling over my reaction. "I don't believe you."

It doesn't matter how many times something like this happens, I never get used to it.

But to be honest, I wasn't sure what it was. The demonic thing that follows me around doesn't have yellow eyes, and isn't seven feet tall… at least not when I've seen it well enough to distinguish any detail.

And, the Shadow is never visibly there after I've looked away and looked back. Most of the time my brain doesn't even register that it has appeared before me until a few seconds after when I do a "WTF" double-take and it's already gone. But this thing was still there after I had turned away. I saw it for a good 5 seconds.

Maybe it was the Shadow, just changing the rules to its game.

Maybe it's something else that haunts this hotel.

I looked up at Zak. _Or maybe it's something attached to him._

Zak held both of my shoulders, waiting for me to respond to him. His blue-green eyes burned into mine.

I shook his hands off. "I just spooked myself. That's all."

"No you didn't. I felt a chill at the same time you gasped. What did you see?"

I looked at him sardonically. "A _'chill,'_ huh? What on earth are you talking about?"

He sighed and began walking again towards our rooms, taking my hand in his. "We have managed to scientifically document certain feelings that we have on our investigations as being physical signs of spiritual activity." He gave my hand a squeeze. "Chills, goosebumps, a cold breeze in still air… they are all potential indications of contact with the paranormal."

I rolled my eyes. _Good for you,_ I thought.

"So… what did you see?"

What am I supposed to say? I guess I'll just play dumb. "I don't know anything about spiritual activity, but I thought I saw someone standing behind us in the reflection from the vending machine."

The last thing I want to tell this man that I hardly know is that I have a demonic attachement… that this kind of experience is not new to me.

Zak stopped in his tracks and frowned, obviously doubting my lame-ass explanation. He held my gaze a little longer, like he was trying to decide whether to call "bullshit" or not, then finally sighed and shrugged. "Okay." He looked over my shoulder, back down the hallway towards the snack machines.

He puffed out his chest and raised his chin defiantly, as if he were displaying a non-verbal challenge to someone down the hall. I held back an eye-roll.

_Yeah, right, Hulk; like that'll do shit…_

He stood like that for a moment, breathing slowly and quietly. Finally he deflated and put a hand between my shoulder-blades, guiding me down the hall. When we got to my room, he stood by while I unlocked the door.

I turned to face him. By now I had calmed down enough that the goosebumps and shivering had subsided. "I'm sure it's nothing, Zak. Really." I displayed a small smile and squeezed his hand.

He just laughed softly, like I was telling a dumb joke. He pulled me into a hug and lowered his mouth to my ear. "Don't worry, Desi. I'm two doors down from you if you need anything," he whispered.

I hugged him back and smiled. "I'll keep that in mind. See you in the morning, Hulk."

I quickly pulled back as he was pressing in to kiss my cheek. I opened the door to my room and slid behind it.

Zak looked confused for a second, but nodded. "Sleep well, Desiree."

"Goodnight," I whispered, closing the door.

I turned and surveyed the room. Holly was on her bed with her headphones plugged into her laptop, nodding her head to a beat. I sat down on my bed and felt instant exhaustion consume me. I looked at the damn bag of trail mix in my hand. _I'm not even hungry anymore._

I put the bag on the nightstand and crawled under the covers. I was asleep within moments.


	8. Skin and Surf

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter VII – Skin and Surf**

At six am, I was woken by Holly yanking the bedsheets off of me. "Time to go, Ray-Ray! Get up!"

I groaned. I had slept without any dreams, but my body was rigid from anxiety - undoubtedly because of the scare from the night before.

I rolled out of bed and zombie-walked to my suitcase. I dug out a Deadmau5 T-shirt, grey Capri shorts, my swimsuit, sunscreen, foundation, and a cover-up. I carried it all to the bathroom, setting it on the toilet lid.

Holly had her hair products and assorted makeup paraphernalia spread out on the bathroom counter. She was wearing a skimpy bright red one-kini with gold beads on the ends of the strings. The fabric down the front was about five inches across at it's thinnest, with a six inch slit down the middle, starting at the strings holding the bikini top in place and ending just above Holly's navel. She handed me a spray bottle of tanning oil. "Can you get my shoulders? I've already got everything else."

The cherry blossom branch tattoo that spread across her left side, back, and left thigh was glistening along with the rest of her porcelain skin. I studied it as I sprayed the bottle across her shoulders and began to massage the oil into her skin.

"When did you add birds?"

"Just after I came down to visit you. Do you like them?"

Two colorful finches had been added among the branches. One was mid-landing on a branch looking down; the other was on a lower branch looking up.

"Who does your work? They look amazing." I tied the halter-top strings of her swimsuit together at the base of her neck.

She turned around and took the bottle from me, setting it on the counter. "His name's Adrian. I'll introduce you sometime." She reached out and yanked my tank top over my head and off of me.

"What the hell!"

She gripped my shorts and yanked at them. "We are in a hurry! Get. Ready."

I swatted her hands away and grumbled, dropping my shorts and stepping into the shower.

I quickly soaped up and skipped the shampoo. The water pressure here was horrible; I worked a bit of conditioner through my hair and spent ten minutes rinsing it out. When I stepped out of the shower to grab a towel, Holly was putting finishing touches on her mascara.

"Why are you getting dolled up just to go to a water park?"

She smirked and winked at me. "Take a wild guess, Des."

"You're fucking boy-crazy."

She flicked a q-tip at me. "What, are we in grade school again?"

I dried myself off and handed the waterproof foundation stick to Holly. "Can you help me out here?"

She sighed and nodded and began to lightly dab the foundation over my scarlines that were deeply visible across my neck and shoulders. "Do you really want me to tackle all of them?"

"I'll be wearing a cover-up. It's up to you."

"You won't be wearing it the whole time if I have anything to say about it," Holly giggled, kneeling down to draw over the scars on my lower back. She finished off the foundation by blending it in with my skin. She frowned. "The scars are still visible, Desiree, but at least they aren't as obvious."

"I know. I'm used to it. Thank you," I took the stick from her and worked on the scar going down my stomach and leg. Grabbing my sunscreen, I stepped back into the shower and sprayed myself all over, rubbing it in as much as I could.

"Oil me up," I said, once again turning my back to Holly and grabbing my bikini bottoms. I stepped into them and re-tied the sides for good measure while she spritzed my back for me.

"Not like you need this shit, anyway. You never burn at all, freak."

I smirked, covering my piercings with triangle-shaped pads to keep them hidden under my bikini. I grabbed the top and pulled the halter-top strings to the top over my head and held the strings around my ribcage behind me for Holly to tie together.

My bikini was a dark grey, giving almost a toxic glow to my light-olive skin. Across the bra lines and the waistline of the bikini bottoms there were lime green pyramid studs, and the strings had lime green beading on them as well.

As Holly was tying the knot in the middle of my back, there was a knock on the hotel room door. We both jumped.

"You girls ready?" Veronique's muffled voice came through the doorjamb.

"Yeah!" Holly yelled, running from the bathroom to let Veronique in.

I put a squeeze of anti-frizz serum in my palms and worked it through my hair. I finished it off with some SPF hair gel and took out my sunscreen stick, dabbing it on my face.

_Ah, what the hell. A little eye liner never hurt anyone._

I came out of the bathroom to grab my makeup bag from my suitcase and froze in my tracks. Veronique and Nick were sitting on Holly's bed.

Veronique whistled.

I blushed furiously and yanked the bag out of the suitcase. "I thought we had a 'no boys allowed' rule."

Nick grinned. "Doesn't apply to married men. By the way… do you work out?"

Veronique swatted him, laughing.

I stomped back to the bathroom and drew a thick line of black around my eyes, then dusted lime green eyeshadow over my lids. I pulled on my pants and came back out into the room, pulling my shirt on over my head.

I stuffed my wallet, cell phone, headphones, Kindle, cover-up and sunscreen into Holly's yellow Oakley mini-backpack. "Let's go," I said.

Aaron and Zak were already down in the lobby waiting on us. Both were wearing swim trunks, t-shirts, and flip-flops.

I tied my hair up in a knot and put on my sunglasses as we all migrated out to the car. "Sorry ya'll had to wait on me," I mumbled to Zak.

He grinned. "No problem."

* * * * * * _(one hour later)_

At the park, we claimed a few lockers and began to take off our outer clothes. Veronique was wearing a strapless black bikini with lots of beaded detailing, and her rich tan was so dark that it made me look pale. Holly shucked her clothes without any problem… but I stood awkwardly in front of my locker, having only taken off my shoes.

"What's wrong with you, woman?" Holly picked up her backpack to shove into a locker.

"Dude, let me carry that for you," I said, grabbing it from her. "We don't want to have to come all the way back here everytime we need something."

"Okay. Aren't you going to change?" Holly raised an eyebrow at me.

I nodded and shot a glance at Zak, who was talking with Aaron. I blushed. "Be right back." I ran with it to a women's restroom around the corner, hearing Holly call after me "Fraidy-Cat!"

Once safely inside a stall, I quickly ripped off my clothes and pulled my cover-up over my head. It was basically a black, loose, sleeveless, see-thru minidress, the fabric made of patches of open lace and fishnet designs. Stepping back into my flip flops, I left the restroom and returned to the group. Zak had his arms folded across his chest, waiting for me.

"Where did you… oh my _God_, Desi," he said when I got close enough for him to focus on my clothing. I blushed. _Maybe I should have just gone with a T-shirt._

Mind you, I thought I looked damn good in just the bikini, but I hate showing too much skin in public. Part of it is the way I was raised to dress conservatively… The other part is, of course, the scarring on my torso that looks like I was mauled by a 3-clawed tiger.

Nick and Veronique had already wandered off, and Aaron and Holly were talking with each other, leaning against the lockers. I pushed past Zak and stuffed my clothes into Holly's locker, slamming it shut and putting the key in the backpack.

I could still feel Zak's eyes on me. _Come ON, dude,_ I thought, finally turning to face him. "Too skimpy?"

He shook his head, smirking. In one fluid motion, he pulled his shirt off over his head and set it in a locker that he and Aaron were sharing.

_Fuck me running._

I knew Zak was buff, but I had no idea of the muscular definition that was hidden under his clothes. He didn't have the emaciated-looking washboard abs, but you could tell that every muscle in his torso was carefully toned and chiseled. Hot damn.

He grinned at me, knowing I was inspecting him closely. Before I knew what happened, he was on me. He had his hands on my waist and was leaning in.

I backed away, up against the lockers. "Behave, Hulk."

He sighed and winked. "Damn it!" he joked, stepping back.

Holly and Aaron approached us. "We're going off to ride one of the river rides first. Nick and V said we should meet back up at noon to figure out what to do for lunch."

"Okay."

"You kids have fun!" said Aaron, wiggling his eyebrows.

Holly smirked and gave me a wink. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do twice, Ray-Ray."

I felt Zak's mouth graze the chains in my industrial piercing, "Was that a challenge?"

* * * * * * (noon)

Around lunch time we met up with the rest of the crew at an area choked with picnic tables. Nick and Veronique were already eating sandwiches, and Aaron was in the process of making himself one.

"Where's Holly?"

"She went to get drinks."

I inspected the table. There were packages of assorted cold cuts and cheeses, lettuce, a sliced onion and a few sliced tomatoes, a small jar of sliced pickles, a couple handfuls of condiments from the park's food vendors, and a loaf of oatnut bread. "What happened to just buying food here?"

Nick shook his head. "The food here is all crap. It doesn't look good at all, so V and I ran to the store."

I sat down next to Aaron and peeled off a couple slices of bread. "Fair enough. Where did ya'll go this morning?"

"We floated a slow river ride this morning, then went down the water slides with Aaron and Holly. This place is pretty cool."

Zak sat down across from me. "Dude did you guys try the surfing thing?"

Aaron frowned. "Surfing thing?"

"Yeah, they have a, I guess you would call it a ride, that you actually surf on."

Nick shot a look at V. "Guess where I'm going after lunch!"

I smirked. "Yeah, too bad Zak can't surf."

Zak glared at me. "Fuck you! I'm a natural beach bum."

"I stayed up longer than you." I poked one of his massive pectoral muscles. "Maybe if you weren't so top-heavy, you could have shown me what you're really made of."

Aaron and Zak busted out laughing at this.

"Like you're one to talk, Des," said Holly, sitting down between Veronique and Zak, setting 6 bottles of water down on the table.

I blushed and focused on laying meat on my sandwich bread. Zak giggled and reached across the table for the bread.

After we finished eating, I bagged the rest of the meat, cheese, and tomatoes and added them to the granola bars that Holly and I stock-piled in the backpack and swung it over my shoulders.

We decided to walk around the park a little bit together as a group. Several times the guys were stopped to have their photos taken with passing fans, but it wasn't so consistent that it was annoying.

I felt a tug on the mini-backpack I was wearing and whirled around "Hey!"

Aaron had his hand in the bag still, a shocked look on his face. "Sorry dude, just getting my camera."

"Your camera is in the Oakley?"

"Yeah, Holly put it in there this morning."

I rolled my eyes. "You better be glad this thing hasn't gotten wet yet."

Zak snorted. I punched him in the shoulder. "Gutter-head."

Aaron snapped on his handheld and began narrating, walking behind us. "Aaron's Vlog, Zak, Nick and I are at Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, Texas. We are joined by Nick's lovely bride, V…" Veronique turned around to give a little wave to the camera.

"…And two very awesome girls who have been our tour guides through Texas; Holly…" Holly swung her ass and flipped off the camera in response.

"…And Desiree."

I turned to face the camera and deliver a winning smile, but as I turned around Zak was pointing at my ass and giving an "A-Okay" gesture and a wink to the camera.

"What the FUCK?" I laughed, pretending to be offended. I grabbed his arm, throwing menacing fake punches at his shoulder. He turned and wrapped an arm around me, pretending to put me in a sleeper hold. I mock-kicked back between his legs and he played along, letting out a groan and dropping to the ground. I climbed up on his back and pretended to smash his head into the concrete repeatedly.

By this point Aaron was laughing so hard that he was having trouble holding the camera steady. Nick was rolling, but he managed to regain his composure enough to choke out, "Okay you guys, that's enough!"

Zak grinned at me as I climbed off of him, and without warning scooped me up in his arms and threw me over his shoulder, holding my legs to keep me steady.

Veronique barked out a laugh.

With me dangling over one shoulder, Zak began walking again like nothing ever happened. I shrieked, but then just rested my elbows against his back, my chin in one hand while I gave a sheepish wave to Aaron's camera with the other.

Holly leaned into the frame. "Yes. That is Desiree. Sorry for the violence, Aaron, we don't let her out in public very often."

"Fuck you!"

Zak smacked my ass. "Shut up, crazy lady, or we'll take you back to the home!"

I pinched him and he jumped. "Put me down."

"No."

"You guys are ridiculous."

I rolled my eyes.

"We're here!" Nick said, pointing to a sign for the surfing ride. "Now we can document how top-heavy Zak really is!"

"Oh God," I groaned. Zak heaved me off of his shoulder as Aaron turned the camera around to explain the scenario from lunch.

After standing in line for about twenty minutes, with Aaron and Nick constantly goofing off with the camera, we finally made it to the front.

"Ladies first," Zak said, pushing me forward. The little boy working this station of the ride smiled at me and offered his hand to steady me when climbing on the board.

"Wait, can we get a front shot of this for our internet blog?" Aaron asked him. He looked at his supervisor, a tiny Hispanic woman, and shrugged.

The woman left her station and beckoned to Aaron. "Sure, come with me."

A few minutes later Aaron popped up in a staff booth 20 yards away and above eye level.

"Don't get too butt-hurt, but I _always_ win when we film," Zak said to me.

_Oh, it's ON, now,_ I thought. I turned to him and shrugged, then slowly and teasingly I pulled off my cover-up.

Work it, girl.

"Whatever, bitch, show me whatchu got," I mocked. I threw the cover-up at Holly. Zak's eyes widened and his gaze on me turned lethal.

"Shit just got real!" Aaron laughed as Holly whistled at me.

I laid down on the board and pushed off. As I felt the artificial current begin to force me back, I inched forward and rose to a sitting position, then slowly climbed up to it so that my feet were flat on the board. I let go of the sides and slowly stood up, arms out, knees bent. Taking tiny steps, I worked to where my feet were sideways, like on a skateboard.

"Dude, she's good."

"We'll see!"

I leaned a shoulder forward and rocked back on my heels, causing the board to skid to the right against the current. As soon as I felt the change in my weight distribution, I pointed my toes down, swerving back to the left, then leveling out. I gave a thumbs up to Aaron's camera, then flipped off Zak behind me.

"Screw this!" yelled Zak, and he ran to the pool next to mine to start his turn. He quickly got on his board and pushed off and had no trouble getting on his feet. I winked at him as he wobbled back and forth, trying to achieve his desired footing.

"See? I'm no amate…" Zak slipped and fell into the water. I laughed so hard that I almost fell too, but regained my composure and put my hands in the air. "There can be only one!" I shouted at the camera.

Zak clambered back onto his board and got back up on his feet. Ignoring me this time, he began to swerve side to side like I was doing, but his second left turn… "SHIT!" …ended with him faceplanting in the water again.

"Dude I think she wins."

I dove off my board into the water and swam to the small channel that was the exit for the ride. The swift current drew me down a slide and into a calmer pool. Zak was right behind me.

I batted my eyes at him as we climbed out of the water. He just stared at me with a frustrated look on his face.

Holly and Aaron caught up with us. "That was so awesome!" Aaron said as Zak ran his hands through his hair, trying to spike it back up.

Aaron trained his camera back on the ride; Nick and Veronique were side by side on boards, trying to play chicken to scare the other into falling. After a few minutes they slid down the ride and joined us.

Nick walked straight over to me and spun me around in a hug. He grabbed my wrist in one hand and Zak's in another, swinging us around to face the camera.

"And the winner is… Desiree McConnell!" He raised my fist into the air.

Holly handed me my cover-up. "Apparently Dallas dandies make better surf material than Las Vegas studs." She said, winking at Zak.

As we walked on to hunt for another ride to film, Veronique snagged my elbow. "What happened to your back?" she whispered.

I took a deep breath, trying not to sound panicked that she had noticed. "Ah… it's nothing. Lost a fight a few years ago," I mumbled, hoping that she'd take my answer and leave the rest alone.

She raised an eyebrow, but nodded and let go of me to rejoin Nick. Holly shot me a glance, but didn't say a word as we hooked arms and walked behind the rest of the group.


	9. Sexual Harassment & Sleep Arrangements

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter VIII – Sexual Harassment and Sleeping Arrangements**

Later that night we stopped at the Gristmill River Restaurant for dinner. I was so tired from the day of hiking around a water park in the Texas sun that I could hardly keep my eyes open while we waited for a table. Everyone else was about the same. We looked beat up… and we were still wearing our clothes from the water park.

Not exactly ideal for a steakhouse, but whatever.

The hostess showed us to the patio where there were picnic tables under a large awning. The soft breeze, plus the mist fans that were set up, made it very cozy. The evening sunlight dappled through the trees and cast an almost magical spell over the atmosphere.

Our waiter was a short, slender guy, sporting a bright blue streak through his short hair and a piercing in his right eyebrow, looking maybe 20 years old. The hair and the jewelry added a nice Austin-like touch to his black dress and formal white shirt. He walked briskly towards us but froze a few yards away.

"Omigod! You guys are on Ghost Adventures!"

Nick laughed and stood up to shake the young man's hand. "Yeah we are."

"I'm a _huge_ fan!" He pulled up a chair to join us and straddled it backwards. "I'm Jamison, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, bro. Glad you like the show," said Zak, straightening up from his slumping on my shoulder to give him a fist-bump.

Aaron nodded to Jamison. "Do you believe in ghosts?"

"Oh yeah! I've seen one before."

Jamison proceeded to describe his experience of seeing his grandmother back at his home shortly after her funeral. "I was only eight years old," he said, "So I didn't really know what to make of it, but I've believed ever since."

The hostess reappeared and seated another group of people out on the patio. Jamison stood up. "Listen, sorry to bother you guys, go ahead and look over the menu and wave me down when you're ready to order."

Veronique smiled at him. "It's no problem at all."

He returned the chair to the table next to ours and power-walked to the group that had just arrived.

Zak laughed. "That's a cool kid."

I opened my menu. "I don't know what to get."

"Yeah, I'm so hungry I can't decide on any one thing."

"Everyone just get something different and we'll pass it around," grumbled Nick. He rested his chin on Veronique's shoulder as she unfolded her menu.

I giggled. We were so exhausted that we couldn't even make real decisions, like what to order for dinner.

After a few minutes Jamison returned and we ordered our food one by one. He cocked his head at us and frowned, obviously picking up on how worn out we were. "Um, do ya'll just want this to go? Ya'll look like you're each about to crash."

Nick laughed and nodded. "Sounds good."

Jamison grinned. "I'll see about throwing in a six-pack while I'm at it," he winked and left us.

Zak turned sideways on the bench and leaned his forehead on my shoulder, groaning, "How do you Texans do this every summer?"

I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. "Do what?"

"This heat!" said Aaron, resting his face in his hand.

"We're built tough," Holly said, smiling at him and giving him a nudge.

Jamison returned with our order after another thirty minutes.

Two bags contained ribs, steak, fried catfish, barbequed chicken, pork chops, and a giant chicken-fried steak. A third was stuffed with potato salad, cole slaw, green beans, macaroni and cheese, sautéed vegetables, salad, and pints of gravy and barbeque sauce.

"Thank you so much, man," said Aaron.

Jamison smiled. "Hang on, I've got one more thing for you guys." He disappeared back into the restaurant, returning a moment later carrying a huge paper bag with both hands. He set it on the ground carefully next to Zak and patted his shoulder. "On the house, bro. Thanks for coming, guys. Get some sleep." He set the check down on the table and walked off.

Nick and Zak fought over the ticket as I leaned around behind Zak and peeked in the extra bag. It was concealing cardboard box holding twelve twenty-two ounce bottles of local brown ale and a clear container holding a whole cheesecake topped with chocolate sauce and fresh raspberries.

"God bless Texas," I mumbled, reaching for a beer.

Veronique swatted at my hand. "No!"

"But _mooommmmm_!"

She laughed. "Lets wait 'til we get to the hotel."

Jamison returned to collect the bill. "Can I get a picture with you guys?"

"Sure!"

The three men stood up and stood next to Jamison, who handed me his phone. "Here."

He winked at me. I felt myself blush as I smiled back at him. I glanced over at Zak. His ears went red but he swallowed his reaction, causing me to laugh. _Really? You're_ _jealous?_

I snapped a shot of the four men with Jamison's phone, and Holly did the same with her own phone. Jamison looked like a little boy on Christmas morning as he took the phone from me to inspect the picture. "Thanks, you guys!"

He helped us gather the bags of food and ushered us out, gushing about his favorite parts of the show the whole way. We walked out the front door and he stopped. "Hang on, I want one more picture."

He snagged my arm and beckoned to Holly and Veronique. "Can I get a picture of me with these three beautiful women?"

Nick laughed and handed Zak the to-go bag he was carrying. He took Jamison's phone from him and nodded to Veronique expectantly.

Jamison pulled me next to him and Veronique stood on his other side. Holly came and stood next to me. We smiled for a quick photo and before I could bolt from his side, Aaron held up his hands. "Wait! Do a _real_ picture. You are sexy women, don't be standing there like a bunch of statues!"

I rolled my eyes, but Veronique and Holly immediately struck cute poses. Veronique stuck out her butt and put a hand over her mouth, and Holly puffed up her already over-sized chest and straddled a leg against my side.

"Holly!"

"Deal with it, bitch."

I sighed and joined in, throwing out a hip and resting an elbow on Jamison's shoulder, putting on a seductive smirk.

Holly pouted her lips in an epic duck-face as Nick trained the camera. "Ready? One… Two… Duck-face… BANG!"

I suppressed a giggle as the flash went off, but then almost immediately swallowed the urge to scream. Jamison had draped one arm across Veronique's shoulder… and put his other arm behind me, placing his hand firmly on my ass. I held still as Nick took a second picture, and then leaped away from Jamison like I had been burned.

"That was awfully bold of you, dude," I seethed, despite my attempt to hide the venom in my tone. I couldn't help it. Who the hell did this guy think he was?

He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, babe." He spread his arms to me, offering a hug.

_Babe?_

I reached out and shook his hand, keeping plenty of distance between us. "Thanks for dinner." _And for the sexual harassment._

Zak's eyes burned into him, but he said nothing as Holly and Veronique, oblivious to Jamison's groping me, both gave him little sideways hugs and the guys shook his hand. Zak just stared at his hand when Jamison began to approach him—the same hand that was clamped down on my butt—and just shook his head and forced a laugh. He waved at Jamison, taking a step backward.

"Nice to meet you, bro."

Aaron picked back up the paper bag. "Let us know if you ever come to Vegas!"

He laughed. "Yeah, that'll be the day." He gave me another wink and turned to go back inside. "Ya'll have a great night!"

As we walked to the car, Holly and I dropped back behind the group. Nick smacked Zak on the back of his head. "Get over yourself, dude," he said quietly, apparently thinking that I was out of earshot.

Zak pushed him. "What the fuck you talking 'bout?" he whispered back.

"You just met this girl, she's not your girlfriend. Quit being so possessive."

"I'm not!" Zak snuck a glance back at me but I quickly looked away, focusing on the back of Aaron's head.

"Bullshit. You were ten seconds from snapping and breaking that kid's fucking neck."

"So?"

"Remember the talk Stacy had with us about good P-R?"

Zak slumped and nodded. Nick patted him on the shoulder and walked on ahead of him.

* * * * * * _ [11PM]_

Zak and I padded quietly through the hotel, dripping wet and wrapped in beach towels. We all had eaten our feast in Zak and Aaron's room, and afterwards Nick, Zak, Veronique, and I had gone to digest and make a dent in the free beer in the comfort of the hot tub downstairs. Holly and Aaron had confiscated the cheesecake and had disappeared.

We reached my room first. Zak gave my ponytail a playful tug as he passed me and continued on to his room. I giggled and swiped my card key in the door.

"Shit!" I heard Holly's voice as I swung the door open.

Aaron and Holly were sitting cross-legged, facing each other on her bed. It was obvious from their deer-in-headlights looks on their faces that I had interrupted... something.

Either a make-out session, or an in-depth discussion. When Holly is involved… who knows?

"Cockkkk-blockin'!" I sang to the "Hot Pocket" tune as I walked past her bed, pretending to shield my eyes with my hands.

She leaped off the bed as I went to my suitcase to drag out some dry clothes. "Get out of here."

"But I'm tired! Besides, the rule is 'no boys allowed.' Remember?"

"Fuck that rule."

"Fuck the rule that _you_ made up?"

Red-faced Aaron was suddenly very interested in the stitching on Holly's bedspread.

"Shut the hell up! I am a shitty rule-follower anyway." She tugged at my towel as I leaned over my suitcase. "Go share a room with Zak."

I straightened up, balking vehemently. "You have got to be kidding me."

"No, I'm not." She grinned at me and yanked my room key from my hands. "Just go!"

I rolled my eyes and gathered my sleepwear, then let her push me out the door. I stood frozen in the dim lighting for a moment, shivering from a strategically placed air conditioning vent above my head. _Damn it._

The last thing I wanted to do was spend the night with Zak. That felt too much like pushing the boundaries of "overkill." Not to mention I was a little tipsy from just having a few large bottles of very strong brown ale… it had to be at least ten percent alcohol-by-volume.

A bedroom with a hot man is not a safe place for Silly Desiree. I mentally smacked my forehead.

I turned back to the door and instinctively reached in my pocket for my room key. Then I remembered… Holly had kept it. I guess she didn't want any more interruptions tonight. I sighed and rested my forehead against the door, defeated.

_Why me?_

I warily took a step back and stared down the hallway at Zak's door. _Fuck it, Desiree._ Almost like I was on autopilot, my legs walked me over to his door and I stared at it blankly. I didn't have the courage to knock on his door, but I knew I didn't have a choice.

After a few minutes, I shrugged and rapped gently on the door.

I immediately heard the security chain disengage and the door cracked open. Zak poked his head out and looked down at me. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

"You haven't seen Aaron anywhere, have you?"

I laughed. "That's why I'm here. I got kicked out."

Zak rolled his eyes and gestured for me to come in. "Shit."

"I know right?" I froze as he opened the door all the way. He was shirtless again. He turned his back to me and walked over to a dresser. He took out a black t-shirt and pulled it on over his head, breaking the spell his rippling features had on my eyes. I quickly averted my eyes from him so he wouldn't catch me ogling.

"Well? Come in."

I walked in to the room and stood there, clutching my clothes to my chest, feeling like a lost child. Zak approached me, smiling.

His hands rubbed my cold arms. "You're welcome to change in the bathroom if you want."

I shivered at his warm touch and quickly stepped toward the bathroom. I shed my wet cover-up and bathing suit and traded them for dry sleep shorts and a Mario Bros T-shirt. I came out to see Zak lounging on his bed, surfing through channels on the TV. He glanced over at me and smiled, his eyes a seductive blue to match the smirk on his face.

I swallowed.

He laughed at my hesitation. "I won't bite," he said, waving his hand over to Aaron's bed. "Have a seat."

I slowly walked across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, hands folded in my lap.

Zak barked a laugh, "You look like you're in time-out!"

I looked at him. "I just don't like being forced into weird situations."

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"I'm just saying I don't mind to get another room if this is awkward."

I was already seriously considering it.

Zak pushed himself off of his bed and walked over to me, crouching down at my feet. He put a hand on my knee and smiled. "It isn't too weird."

I sighed and scooted back on to the bed, breaking his touch. "Okay. Then I'm going to go ahead and crash, then. You don't have to turn down the volume on the TV or anything though; it'll be like I'm not even here."

He stood up and reached across my legs, pulling back the covers for me. "Don't worry about a thing, doll. I was just about to pass out anyway."

I crawled under the covers and laid down on my side. Zak turned off the TV and climbed into his bed.

"Speaking of weird, I was impressed with how well you handled that blue-haired waiter today."

I rolled my eyes. "I wanted to deck him. He was a total creep."

Zak laughed, "I know how you feel."

I raised an eyebrow, recalling his hushed conversation with Nick. "How so?"

Zak looked down for a moment, fidgeting. He looked back up at me and winked. "Ah, never mind. Sleep well, let me know if you need anything." He clicked off the light over the nightstand and settled down under the covers.

As my eyes adjusted, I could see the silhouette of Zachary Bagans in the dark, propped up on an elbow, studying me. To be honest it was rather unsettling, so I rolled over and put my back to him.

I was asleep before I knew it.

* * * * * * _[9AM]_

I woke up in a state of panic. I had eerily vivid dreams all night, plus it's disconcerting to not know where you are when you open your eyes. I sat up quickly and looked around… oh. Now I remember.

I could hear the shower running from the bathroom, meaning that Zak was busy for the moment. _Thank God…_ I quickly made the bed and gathered my things and tiptoed out of the room.

I reached the door to my room and smacked my forehead. _Shit_. Thanks to the crazy broad snitching my key card, I didn't have a way of getting into my own room. I knocked on our door quietly.

There's no way I'm getting stuck out in the hallway like this.

Ten seconds later, Holly opened the door to the room. "Morning, hussy," she said, smirking at me and stepping aside to let me in.

"Is Aaron here?"

"No he was out of here by 7 to go get coffee."

I turned and looked at her. "What the hell happened last night?"

She slumped. "Not what you're thinking, I swear."

"Whatever."

"Seriously! We stayed up til almost three, just talking… and stuff." She went to the bathroom to begin packing her toiletries. "What happened on _your_ end last night?"

"We went to sleep."

"Uh huh."

"Me in Aaron's bed and Zak in Zak's bed."

"You're such a prude."

I shrugged and began to pack my suitcase. "No, I'm just not wearing a neon "free pussy" sign."

Holly threw her shampoo bottle at me from the bathroom.


	10. Female Drivers and Meat Swords

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter IX – Female Drivers and Meat Swords**

We finished packing and locked up the room. I dragged our luggage to the elevators while Holly went to knock on the other doors, making sure everyone was up and getting out of their rooms on time.

When we reached the lobby Holly turned in our keys, then we took our bags out to the parking lot and put them in the trunk of her car.

"I'm ready to be home."

She smiled at me. "This was fun though, wasn't it?"

I nodded. Sure. Being flirted with by a man I hardly know for 24/7 in an area I'm unfamiliar with for the past several days… _Yeah, there's no anxiety in it for me at all._

We returned to the lobby just as Nick, Veronique, and Aaron came out of the elevators. Veronique waved.

"Where's Zak?"

"He's not with ya'll?"

Aaron shook his head and laughed. "I think he's still in the room doing his hair."

Nick took the keys to go turn them in and Holly and I helped Veronique and Aaron carry their luggage to their car. Just as we were putting the last bag in the back of the Flex, Nick and Zak came out of the hotel with Zak's luggage. "Sorry, guys!"

"What took you so long?"

He shrugged. "It takes work to look this good, bro."

Nick rolled his eyes, then nudged me. "Ready to go?"

"Hell yes."

Zak loaded up his bags and chased Holly and me down on our way to her car. "Desiree, I missed you this morning, I'm sorry."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "It's not like I was going to poke my head in the shower and say 'bye.'"

Holly snorted.

I stopped walking and gave Zak a hug. "We'll see you back in Dallas, okay?"

He nodded and caressed my cheek with his thumb briefly before backing away. "See you soon." He grinned and returned to the Flex.

* * * * * * _[~2PM]_

Our sad little caravan of a skeleton Mazdaspeed 3 and a dirty Flex parted as Holly and I exited the Dallas North Tollway. They were going a couple miles further north for their hotel. We drove by Brian's house and picked up Sadie, then finally pulled up to my apartment.

Holly looked over at me as she turned off the car, smiling. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

It really wasn't. He had kept his hands to himself for the most part, and had been very respectful of me the entire trip. At the time, part of me wished he _hadn't_ kept his hands to himself, but I appreciated him maintaining the distance. I have a bad habit of wearing my heart on my sleeve.

We walked into the apartment with our bags and the dog, dropping everything at the front door. Holly collapsed on the couch. "Aaron was all up in my business last night."

"Didn't we already go over this?"

"Well, we talked a _lot_."

I sat down next to her. "Okay. What gives?"

She just gave me a knowing look and shrugged, causing me to laugh.

"You heartbreaker!"

"Nah, I just told him I didn't think a relationship would be the best idea."

I grabbed her hand. "Wait, he was asking for a relationship? Like, the real deal?"

She nodded. "Not just a fuck-buddy. Damn shame."

I slapped her and she laughed, rolling on to her side.

"What about you and Zak?"

I frowned. "What about us?"

"You're all doe-eyed every time you see him, and according to Aaron he's really into you."

"He lives in Vegas, Holly." _I highly doubt he's _that_ into me…_

She rolled her eyes and smacked me with a pillow from the couch.

"I love you, slut-face," I gave her hand a gentle squeeze and got up to head to my bedroom. I flopped onto my bed and curled up with Sadie.

"I love you too, square," drifted in from the living room as my eyes closed by themselves.

* * * * * * _[6PM]_

I heard a knock on my door. Before I was even able to raise my head Sadie catapulted off of my stomach and shot into the living room. I wheezed.

I heard Holly open the door. "Hey everyone! Come on in!"

_What the hell? _I rubbed my face and wandered out of my bedroom.

Zak, Aaron, Nick and Veronique were standing in the living room, looking refreshed and dressed for a night on the town. "Hey, ya'll" I mumbled. Zak grinned at me. "Howdy, Sleeping Beauty."

I grunted, glancing at the mirror on the wall. _Yikes._ My hair was back in a pony tail but had a solid three inches of frizz haloing off of my head. My residual eye makeup was smudged under my eyes and my clothes were wrinkled. I struck a pose mockingly, but then quickly grasped my stomach as it let out an audible growl. I walked over to the fridge and stared blankly at its nearly empty contents.

Two bottles of Fat Tire and a can of High Life, peanut butter, a milk jug with less than half a cup left inside, a package of spoiled chicken breasts, a wilted package of spinach, and an empty egg carton.

"I'm hungry."

Veronique joined me. "So are we."

Aaron piped up from the living room. "Yeah, what's good to eat around here?"

"Couldn't ya'll have just ordered pizza?" I yawned.

Nick pouted, "That was my idea."

I shook my head to wake myself up and I closed the refrigerator. I poured Sadie a bowl of dog food and wiped my hands off on my shorts. "So what are ya'll in the mood for?"

"Meat!" said Zak.

Holly giggled. "Conan the barbarian."

Aaron shrugged. "We were thinking something unique to the area. Got anything in mind?"

Holly began to rattle off our favorite places in North Dallas, "Whiskey Cake, Love and War in Texas, Zizikis, the Blue Fish, the Magic Time Machine…"

I held up my hand to stop her. "I think we can do better for these Vegas weirdos," I said.

"What do you mean?"

I grinned. "Let's go to Fort Worth."

Holly's eyes widened, instantly picking up on my plan. "Oh HELL yes!" She turned to Veronique. "Ya'll will just have to come back a few more times to experience the ones I mentioned… especially Whiskey Cake." She rolled her eyes up in her head. "God, getting drunk never tasted so good."

Aaron raised an eyebrow at her. "It's a liquor restaurant?"

I shook my head. "Just the name. It is a good place though." I winked at Aaron. "It's a great place for a date night, hint-hint."

Aaron blushed.

Zak held up his hands, frustrated. "Whatever. So why aren't we going there? I'm starving!"

I took his arm in mine and patted it. "Easy, Hulk, just trust me."

He gave me a sour look. Batting my eyes in response, I flourished a curtsey. "Excuse me for a moment, I'm going to change." I looked down at my wrinkled attire. I need to take this up a couple of notches.

I quickly ran to my bedroom and closed the door, wiggling into black dress capri's and putting on a very tight, very low-cut, sequined black top and wrapped a three-layered scarf with dark grey silk, pale blue lace, and silver leopard print with silver red flowers around my neck to cover my cleavage. I put on my matching jewelry and stepped into my grey heels.

I came out and went to the bathroom while Holly took my place in the bedroom. I blended charcoal to silvery lavender from my lashes to my browline, then finished the look with a thick line of black eyeliner and using a damp brush to lightly dust my eyelids with bronze. I dabbed dark red lipgloss on my lips and teased my hair up into a clip.

"I'm ready!" I said. I gave a little twirl for Veronique.

She laughed. "Very nice."

I banged on the bedroom door. "Waiting on you, sugar-puff!"

"Bite me."

Holly swung out of the bedroom in a black miniskirt with lace trim, a low cut blue shirt with an open back and rhinestone accents… and _my_ four-inch bright blue pumps.

"I didn't say you could wear those!"

She just smirked and did a twirl for me. She had already done her makeup while I had been changing; her eyes were smoky black with whorish bright blue.

I put up the dog and we piled out the door. We headed towards the Flex when suddenly Zak stopped. "Why don't we take two cars?"

I did a mental eye-roll. "One would be easier, especially in the Stockyards."

"Stockyards? Where the hell are you taking us?"

Zak grinned and hooked my arm with his. "Yeah but we don't all fit in your Rex."

Defeated, I threw my hands up. "Fine! You're paying for my gas, though. Aaron, want a ride?"

"Fuckin' A, I do! Let me go get my camera." Aaron ran off towards the Flex.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Zak said, obviously shocked.

"Patience." I said to him, giving him a wicked grin. I tapped out the address to the restaurant and texted it to Veronique and Holly. "One of you should be able to keep up with that to navigate, right?"

Veronique winked and shook her phone at me. "Got it."

Zak was still staring at me, dumbfounded.

"What?"

He laughed and shook his head. Aaron returned with his handheld camera and smiled a cheesy grin at Zak. "I'll let you watch the tape later."

Zak swatted at him but he ducked and skipped back a few paces, laughing.

"Seriously. H-U-N-G-R-Y. Let's GO already," said Nick, obviously a little aggravated that we were not making much progress.

"See y'all there," I said, beckoning Aaron to join me as we hiked to where my car was parked. Aaron switched on the camera and turned it on me as he walked beside me. "Aaron's Vlog, Desiree has been kind enough to grant me a ride in her car."

I winked. "Zak is gonna kill you."

"But this isn't just _any_ car!" Aaron said; swinging the camera forward and zooming in on the ass-end of the RX-7 as it came into view. "This is a nineteen eighty-eight, tenth anniversary edition, Mazda R-X-seven."

We stopped at the car and I unlocked the doors. Aaron walked around it with his camera.

"I think this would look more bitchin' in black."

"Bite your tongue!"

"But white is kind of the car color for old people!"

I laughed. "I agree with you wholeheartedly, bro. And second-gen's do look wicked in black. But this edition came in all white for a reason, even the wheels and the taillights, so you would be able to tell just a white second generation RX-7 apart from a 10-AE."

I rolled down the windows and opened Aaron's door. Sucking in air, I started the engine and revved it a couple times to get it going. Aaron was still walking around the car with his camera, turning briefly to wave as the Flex drove by.

"Sorry you had to sit for a few days, baby. I missed you." I patted the dashboard.

"Wow." I hadn't realized Aaron had finished his 'B-roll' and had poked his head in the car. His camera was in my face. "That was creepy."

"Shut up."

"So… tell me the history behind what makes this car so awesome, and tell me what you've personally done to it." He handed me the camera so he could put his seatbelt on.

I launched in to my explanation as the engine warmed up slowly, trying to skip the boring details to keep myself from rambling. _Good timing_, I thought. The week before the concert I had gotten with Jake at R.P. and had finally installed the new blow-off valve, giving my car a whole new vocabulary of wicked sounds.

After the engine was warm, we worked our way out of the complex, stopping at the exit.

"You ready for this?" I gave Aaron a wink and pushed down hard on the gas pedal, screeching out onto the road and leaving behind a trail of white smoke. I slammed the car into second and hit the gas again, and we leaped forward. As we slowed down for a traffic light, Aaron turned his camera to face him.

"I'm in a fast car with a woman driver… this may be my last words so… I love you, mom and dad… and—"

"Shut up, dude!" We turned at the light and got into a lane that feeds to the toll road.

"I'm just saying!"

"You're right. I could get you killed. So quit playing with the camera and enjoy the last few minutes of your life!"

Aaron laughed and turned the camera back forward. "Zoom zoom, mothaf…"

Aaron's cheesy comment was cut off by the _RrrrrrrRRRRRG-WAAAP!_ of the engine as the RPM's redlined, demanding another gear to engage.

I hit the onramp and throwing the shift knob yet again, I let the car's power take over. Turbo-charger screaming, we flew like a bat out of hell. Every time I downshifted the blow-off valve exploded, ringing our ears. I merged onto the tollroad and swerved around the slower traffic as the minutes passed.

"How about some music?" I asked, putting in a mix CD and cranking the volume.

The bass of Justice's _Genesis_ kicked in and Aaron leaned back in his seat. "Hell yes."

Thirty minutes later we pulled into a downtown parking lot and I turned down the volume on Bassnectar while the car idled down. I turned to Aaron.

"So?"

He laughed. "You scared the shit out of me, but that was awesome."

I turned off the car and popped the hood so the engine could cool off.

"What are you doing?"

"I drove her hard; this helps the heat escape much faster."

"That's what HE said!"

I walked around to the back of the car and pointed at the tailpipes, which had the faint red glow of super-heated metal.

Aaron followed with his camera and let out a low whistle. "Damn."

Just then the Flex drove by slowly and turned into the lot. Aaron and I waved.

Holly and Veronique got out, followed by Nick, then Zak. "How the hell did you beat us here?"

"Is that a trick question, Zak?" I asked, smiling sweetly as he rolled his eyes.

Nick looked around. "Okay so where are we headed?"

I pointed. "Two blocks that way."

We hiked down the street until a building with huge discs of burning oil on the sides of it came into view. "Here we are," I said, hooking arms with Holly.

"Texas de Brazil? We've got one of these in Vegas, but I've never been there." Aaron said as the sign for the restaurant came into view.

"You said you wanted meat." We walked in to a dark, lavish atmosphere. The hostess smiled as Zak swaggered up to her and leaned his wrists heavily on the podium. "There are six of us… and we're starving."

"Well you come to the right place, sir," she said in a thick latino accent.

"Please say you have a table open?"

She scanned her chart on the podium and winked. "Today's your lucky day, _guapo_. Have you ever been here before?"

Zak shook his head.

She grabbed silverware and led us through the old building. "Now, here is the salad bar. Is pretty much everything you want; soup, salad, dips, bread, hors d'oeuvres, sea food, sushi, cheese, you eat all you like. They bring the meat to the table." She explained as we passed the mountain of food. She led us up a narrow staircase and set us at a table right up against a railing, overlooking the restaurant.

"Balcony seating," murmured Nick. "That's sick."

Aaron held up what looked like a flattened hockey puck at his seat that was red on one side, green on the other. "What's this for?"

The hostess grinned. "You turn to green when you are ready for meat, and you turn to red when you fill your plate.

"So this is a stop and go card?!"

She nodded, giggling. Aaron breathed, "I'm in heaven."

She set our silverware and left, and we followed her down the stairs and began to fill our plates at the salad bar.

"Dude I'm not even going to get around to the meat." Nick said as we sat back down at the table.

I had just gotten a light salad and a couple pieces of sushi. I paused for a personal quiet prayer.

_God, you are sovereign and worthy of all good things, please use this to nourish my body as to serve you better. Please guide me through the day to bring you glory in every situation. Thank you for loving me and Christ for saving me at my worst._

Aaron and Zak noticed the pause. Aaron smiled and said nothing, but Zak seemed to be deep in thought, but was interrupted by Aaron saying, "How do they bring you the meat, do they bring you a menu or what?"

Holly giggled and pointed to another table a few yards from us. Men were coming up the stairs and gathering around the table, each one holding a knife, a towel, and skewers. On each skewer there was a different type of meat impaled on it, three to four pieces deep.

"Holy cow."

"Literally."

I leaned forward to get his attention. "The meat on the end of the skewer is closer to well done, where the meat closest to the handle is more rare, except for the pork and poultry cuts."

"They look like swords," said Zak.

Aaron burst into a giggling fit at this. "Meat swords! Oh, God!" Zak, Holly, and Nick soon joined in laughing with him.

"Infants," I said, but the giggling was too contagious and very quickly everyone at the table was gasping for breath and wiping their eyes from laughing.

Ten minutes later we all turned our cards over to green. Our waitress saw this and went downstairs to notify the cooks. Soon we were surrounded by steaming piles of meat.

Okay. That _is_ what she said.

Chicken, pork, beef, duck, lamb… of all different kinds. I looked down. "My plate isn't big enough."

A man wielding a skewer of filet mignon smiled down at me. "You can always have seconds, _bonita._"

Our plates full, we all dug in. All except for Zak, that is. He leaned in close to me, like he was about to say something, but wasn't sure how to say it.

"Desiree… What is your hang-up with the paranormal?"

Nick choked on his bite of pork and looked from Zak to me and back. Veronique took a long pull on her drink. Holly just sighed and studied her parmesan chicken closely.

I sighed. "Well… it's complicated. But to put it simply, I think hunting for ghosts is silly."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "So you _are_ a skeptic." He turned to Aaron. "Pay up, bro."

I shook my head and took a sip of my martini. "You can't be a skeptic when you've seen one."


	11. Visions and Debates

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional. **PLEASE NOTE: The religious views expressed in this chapter are not intended to offend the reader's personal beliefs, they are just character development on Desiree.*****

**Chapter X – Visions and Debates**

I blushed and looked down at my plate as I felt everyone's eyes on me.

"So you _were_ bullshitting me back at the hotel!" Zak said triumphantly.

"That wasn't a ghost, Zak."

His eyes went wide, though the smirk never left his face. "Okay, then. So what have you seen?"

I put my fork down and sighed. "When I was living out in west Texas I was involved in all kinds of stuff."

"What kinds of stuff?"

"Partying, promoting, drug dealing, drug using… I was a damn good hookup and was well-known at every party or show I went to. My roommate and I brought in 90% of the area's coke and ecstasy for three years."

Holly snorted. "That's actually how we met."

Nick frowned. "What does that have to do with ghosts?"

"I'm giving you the back-story so you'll get what I'm trying to say, dude. Anyway, before that, I grew up in a conservative church that taught behavioral modification more than grace. Being told to be perfect, but finding perfection impossible, is very discouraging when you aren't taught equally as much about the cross. Basically, God was never real to me… so the 'Christian' stuff never stuck."

"No shit," grumbled Holly. She was raised in very much the same way as I was, and she is just as bitter towards the Church as I am; if not more so.

"So… I went the opposite way. Through my connections between the drug rings and the underground club scene, I met a lot of different people and I got involved in some very dark things. I don't recall all of it clearly, but from what I do remember, a good way to sum it up was I was playing in the demonic or paranormal realm, masquerading itself as harmless metaphysics."

Zak stopped eating and looked at me.

"Obviously, that wasn't the smartest move I ever made. The problem was that, even among my friends who were in this with me, I was the most sensitive to energies. The things that my friends were talking about in theory, I was experiencing in person. It was very creepy."

Holly picked at her food, looking at me out of the corner of her eye as if to ask, _how much more are you gonna say?_ This stuff has scared her before in the past, so she and I just don't talk about it anymore.

"So I've been haunted with really disgusting, terrifying nightmares, I've seen apparitions, I've been scratched. I've been chased by things…"

I saw Veronique's eyes widen in shock when I mentioned being scratched. I acknowledged her look with a small shake of my head before continuing. _No, not those scratches._

"The straw that broke the camel's back was when something demonic threw me back 30 feet against a wall. That incident put me in the hospital."

Holly laid a hand on my back. It wasn't the whole story, but it served its purpose. No need to hash out the details just yet; I don't want Zak to run screaming out of my life that quickly.

…Even though this conversation alone may be enough to elicit the same response.

"Wow, a demon put you in the hospital?" Zak slid Nick a look. "What did the doctors say?"

"'Heart attack induced by a methamphetamine overdose.'" I laughed, despite myself. _So ridiculous._

Holly leaned over to interrupt. "Which, by the way, she stayed away from that shit. _And,_ there wasn't even any in her bloodwork." She rolled her eyes and sighed, "Even Desiree's parents knew that."

Aaron crossed his arms in disgust. "The doctor just pulled that out of his ass?!"

"A demon-induced heart attack wasn't in his vocabulary, Aaron. And I did hang out with a few tweakers back then, so I guess it was guilt by association," I mumbled.

"Did you have to go to rehab?"

"No, my parents signed statements that they would take me home and keep me 'under observation' so I wouldn't have to deal with the rehab clinic in West Texas."

"What about the demon, have you seen it since?" asked Veronique.

"Well…" I froze. I did not really want to go into how I'm still dealing with the terror of demonic attachment. I took a deep breath and redirected the argument. "I was so ready to go to war. I wanted to hunt the damned thing down, no matter what dark arts I had to get myself into to find it."

Zak smiled, "Yeah, of course."

"But I didn't."

"Oh… Why not?"

"A week before I was thrown, something happened. I woke up feeling like someone else was in the room, and when I rolled over and I saw my grandfather's face inches from mine." I took a deep breath. _How do I explain this?_

"He wasn't laying down, but he was sideways, parallel with me. His mouth was moving but no words were coming out. However I could hear his voice very clearly in my head, 'Sister, why are you doing this? You were raised better than this. Why are you destroying your life and your family? Why have you turned your back on God?'"

I paused to swallow the tears that had begun to put pressure on my throat. "My Granddaddy was the greatest man I had ever met. He was _so_ smart, and he was always quick to rebuke me when I was wrong and quick to instigate an adventure or spark my imagination. When he passed, my dad and I _really _struggled over the years, and really, to this day. We have a hard time talking about him without getting emotional."

Taking another deep breath, I violently wiped my cheeks and took a long drink from my martini before continuing. "So seeing him, hearing him call me by his nickname for me, and hearing a pleading rebuke in his voice… That really hit me hard."

"Wait a minute. So you saw your grandfather's ghost?" Nick asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know if I actually saw the ghost of my late grandfather or not, because I cannot say that I believe in ghosts. What I believe, plus the logic from the research that I've done, suggests 'ghosts' are actually demonic presences."

Aaron's eyes went wide. "But it was your _grandfather!_"

Zak frowned. "I don't agree with that, because we come into contact with ghosts that aren't trying to harm us at all, so surely those aren't demonic."

I smiled gently at him. "In my opinion, Zak, yes they are. They're just distracting you. They're playing with you. They're keeping your eyes on the ball so that you never see the net that gives the ball significance and purpose."

Nick leaned across with his elbows on the table to me and said, "What makes you say that?"

"There's a reason you can't always sense one of those things when it's in the room with you – they operate on a different plane that we can't get our minds around, right? Therefore, they ultimately decide whether or not you are aware of their presence. So logically, if it can control your perception of it being close by, it surely can alter your perception of what it is or isn't, and what it is capable of doing."

Aaron shrugged at this.

"I'm just saying that any of it could be benign or good, but it could definitely also be evil and you would have _no_ idea, because you aren't tapped into that part of reality."

"That makes sense, bro," Nick said to Zak. "We've done investigations involving demons, and they'll imitate the fuck out of anything."

Zak smirked, "So if it was a demon, not your grandfather, why did you put any weight on what it said?"

Veronique laughed. "I feel a debate coming on!"

I rolled my eyes. "My answer is religion-based, so you won't like it."

"As long as you don't beat me over the head with a Bible, I think I can manage it." He said, taking my hand in his from across the table.

I groaned. _Here goes nothing…_ "Okay… The Bible gives instruction that if you do receive a message from the 'dead', you need to see if it passes the filter of the Bible."

Aaron leaned back in his seat, raising an eyebrow at Holly. Zak frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"What that means is just asking the simple question of 'does the message or apparition line up with what the Bible points to, or does it not?' Is the message pointing to the glory of God in Christ, or is the message robbing of His glory?"

I felt sweat bead up on my forehead. _This is not how I planned the evening going_. "So, if I was more concerned that I _saw_ him, and I was more preoccupied with that vision; with maybe trying to see him again… it's just another demonic distraction. However I took the message at face value to be 'quit fucking up your life,' and moved on. In the end, what he said passed the 'biblical filter', even though the interaction in and of itself still could have been a test. See what I mean?"

Holly swallowed a gulf of her drink. "It makes my brain explode."

"So you didn't hunt down the demon because of _that_?"

I stared into Zak's eyes. "It kinda defeats the purpose of being rid of the demonic if you go looking for it."

Veronique laughed. Holly gave me a sideways look. She knew the whole story, and she knew that the reasons ran much deeper than I was verbalizing.

Aaron finally voiced his thoughts that were causing his visible discomfort. "So you're religious."

He sighed and I could see him mentally changing gears, like he was going to have to put up a defense when interacting with us from this point forward.

Nick leaned back in his chair and laughed. "Religious? I don't get that prissy self-righteous vibe from you."

"Do I have to be self-righteous to have faith?"

"No, just to be religious," Veronique giggled.

"That's the norm, at least with the church-goers we meet."

"Yeah, most Christians we run into are convinced that we are going to hell. You wouldn't believe the hate mail we get," said Aaron.

That made me laugh. "I hate to say it, but the majority of people who call themselves Christians are in fact _not_ Christians at all. They're just good fucking church people, or they just do whatever they want with Jesus' name attached to them every once in a while." I sighed, "Makes me sick."

Aaron winked at Nick and raised his hand. "So… you _aren't_ religious? Isn't Christianity a religion?"

Nick laughed and pointed to me. "Counterpoint."

I grimaced. "Actually, true Christianity is not a religion at all. Christ actually was much more aggressive to the religious bigots he encountered than the nonreligious people. Christianity is a relationship. Religion is a pathetic man-made thing that is the lousiest yet most popular hobby in the history of the world. It's cold and exhausting."

"Point: Other religions could say that about their faiths," Nick said, smirking at me.

_Give it a rest, will ya?_ I threw up my hands. "Can't we change the subject already?"

"Nope. Counterpoint."

I growled at him. "I would _own_ your ass in a real debate, Groff."

"Dayum!" giggled Zak.

"Here, let me simplify it for you. _Religion's_ mantra is 'I do this and I don't do that; Therefore I am accepted.'" I finished off my drink and slammed the glass on the table, my eyes burning into Nick's.

"_Christianity's_ mantra is 'I _am_ accepted; Therefore I do this and I don't do that.' Nick, I don't have to earn _shit_ to be saved, and that is _not_ how religion operates." I pretended to slam my fork down on the table like a gavel. "Debate closed."

Nick held up his hands in surrender and laughed. "Sorry, wasn't trying to get you all riled up!"

Surprisingly, the atmosphere at the table was not awkward at all from that. In my head however, it was chaotic. I hung my head and shoved a bite of chicken into my mouth.

I don't like discussing apologetics in a public setting, especially with people whose personal beliefs are unknown to me. It's hard to apologize when you don't know what it is that they think you did wrong. This is a topic that was designed to be one-on-one over a coffee or a beer.

_It's not a debate. It's a dialogue._

Zak smiled. "Maybe we can talk more about it later," he said, picking his fork back up.

"No, it's cool," I said, making Holly laugh.

After a few more rounds from the meat carvers, we had eaten all we could and asked for the checks. Zak snitched Holly's and my checks from the waitress before we even had a chance to protest.

"Chivalrous bastard," I grumbled. Zak just winked at me.

As we made it outside, we walked over to the Flex. Aaron and Zak were flying back tonight, but Nick and Veronique were staying in the hotel overnight and catching a flight back in the morning.

Holly and I made our rounds hugging the others. Nick bear-hugged me. "You know I was just pushing your buttons, right?"

I nodded. Aaron gave me a sideways hug, saying, "Yeah, and they're so big and shiny, it's hard to resist!"

His arm dropped and we all stared at him. I pointed sideways at him, facing the others. "That IS what _he_ said."

Everyone cracked up. Aaron patted my back and moved on to Holly. I turned to see Zak coming at me with his arms inviting me to him. I let him pull me into an intimate hug, but when I released him, he didn't let go. Instead he pushed his cheek against mine and whispered in my ear, "I will see you again soon, Desiree. I promise."

"You don't think I'm a religious whack-job?"

"No." He squeezed me tighter.

I shivered at his breath on my neck and pulled back. "Thank you."

He let go of me slowly. Holly and I watched the group pile into the Flex and we waved as they drove off before getting into the Rex.

"That was an awesome week," she breathed as she buckled her seatbelt.

I shrugged. "Yeah, it was nice."

When Holly and I walked in the door, I breathed a deep sigh of relief. Holly sat down on the couch and plugged her headphones into her laptop, pulling up one of her online classes. "Study time," she said.

Well, I guess she's set for the evening. I waved at her and she flipped me off in response, giggling.

I changed into running shorts and a T-shirt, all the while thinking _Did this week really just happen? _Zak seemed so nice… so normal. So did the others. I was enjoying the time with them, but I still didn't have it in my mind that there would be much contact after this week.

Like Aaron had said—jokingly or not—we were _tour guides._

I let Sadie out and she immediately ran to the front door to be walked. We set off to jog around the complex, but when we got to about the halfway point, she started growling and snarling.

I had never heard her make such horrific sounds before. I made soothing noises to her and put a hand on her neck, but she ignored me. I followed her point and saw a black shadow.

Oh. Wait. It's _the_ black shadow. Less than ten yards away.

I sat down hard on the grass. I gripped Sadie's collar and buried my head between my knees. _PLEASE help me!_

When I looked up, it was gone, but I still felt like I was being stalked. I looked around us slowly, still feeling very vulnerable. I could feel eyes on me and I had chills digging into my spine.

_Fuck our daily five-mile run, pup._

I ran Sadie all the way back to the apartment. We burst through the door and I slammed it shut, locking both locks and the security chain behind me. Holly looked up from her laptop and raised an eyebrow at me. I just shook my head.

My whole body was shaking, and I had my lips pursed tightly to keep from sobbing. I walked past Holly and straight into my bedroom, crawling into a fetal position on my bed. I closed my eyes and let the sobs leak out quietly for the next hour.

Once the terror had finally subsided, I came out of the bedroom to get a glass of water. Holly was passed out on the couch, her laptop turned off. I sighed. I needed interaction.

_Fuck it._ I pulled out my phone and flopped down on my bed.

[_Zak how do you deal with the scary things you encounter when you're not on the show? Do you ever deal with it at home?_]

Ten seconds later, [_I could ask u the same question, little miss theologian! Wouldn't God protect u?_]

_Thanks for the reminder, Jesus._ I rolled my eyes. [_Yes. But that doesn't mean I don't hurt._]

I fell asleep before he responded. [_Ur a very interesting woman. Most people who face evil cant ever go back 2 their faith._]

Another one of those moments an idiot was used to remind me of what love I'm captured in.

[_I'm digging it._]


	12. Parental Guidance and Atomic Bombs

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XI – Parental Guidance and Atomic Bombs**

I woke up with my hair matted to my face, Sadie curled up against my back. I rolled over and checked my phone. Two emails from work, four Facebook notifications, one new text message. I opened my messages. It was Zak's "I'm digging it."

…_Really?_

[_What are you digging, Zak?_]

I didn't want to follow my thoughts to conclusion if he was interested in me. It was easier to believe that he had enjoyed my company on their little vacation, but that was the extent of his affection.

_No need to get your panties in a wad over Hollywood-Boy,_ I kept telling myself. I really did find myself liking him, but my anxiety and my history needed to keep these emotions as detached as possible.

It's easier that way, anyway. I won't be disappointed by him never calling me again. I won't have to run him through my mind over and over again trying to dissect this or that. I won't dream about him or pine over him.

At least, that's what I had hoped.

My nightmares had returned in the past few weeks, but ever since we started our road trip with the guys, when I wasn't dreaming about gore and hatred, I was dreaming about this giant man with dark hair, blue-green eyes, and a killer smile.

The dreams weren't inappropriate by any means, but they still managed to haunt me as much as the nightmares… Which made it all the more frustrating. I've been fucked over way too many times to really have much faith in a man.

Be The Quiet chimed again on my phone and snapped me out of my thoughts.

[_Um… you?_]

We have just lost cabin pressure.

[_You live on the other side of the country, Mister Bagans._] I wrapped an arm around Sadie and rolled her over to scratch her belly beside me. _What the hell is he thinking?_

[_I know._]

A few minutes later, [_U know, I never got 2 ride along in the RX :)_]

I rolled my eyes. _What is he getting at?_ [_Yeah well if you lived closer that wouldn't be a problem._]

For my anxiety's sake, I didn't want to continue the conversation anymore. I got up and went to the kitchen to make coffee, leaving my phone in the bedroom.

Holly had already gotten up and showered. She grinned at me as I stomped around in the kitchen. "Bad night?"

"Weird dreams."

Sadie was bouncing around at my feet like a tightly coiled spring. I groaned. "I'm gonna have to run her twice as long today."

"Yeah, I noticed you weren't gone very long last night. What happened?"

I peeked over the bar at her in the living room. "I saw the Shadow again."

She frowned. "I'm so sorry you have to deal with that shit. How often do you see it?"

"Often enough," I grumbled, hitting "start" on the coffee pot. The Shadow has managed to show up once or twice a month on average over the past several years. Sometimes I'll go a couple months without seeing it, but sometimes I'll see it a couple times a week.

I took Sadie out for her morning constitutional, and when we returned the coffee had finished brewing. I poured two cups of it and brought Holly one. She was goofing around on YouTube on her laptop, watching super-car featured episodes from a UK television show. I sat down next to her and she handed me one of her earbuds.

"I want a GTR." Holly took a deep swallow of her coffee.

"You can't afford one. Besides, you have a project already."

"I still want one."

"Well yeah, and I want a Veyron."

We continued to watch for another half hour, sipping our coffee. When the episode was over I wiped my face. "Breakfast?"

"Let's go to Whiskey Cake."

I grinned. "You sure you wanna get throwed before you drive home?"

Holly punched me and closed her laptop screen. "Put some clothes on."

I quickly dressed in jeans and a babydoll t-shirt and put the dog in her kennel. We drove Holly's car to the restaurant, just up the road from my apartment.

Our waiter was a very handsome guy. I recognized him from my old high school, though I think he was a few years behind me. We caught up briefly while Holly stepped outside to take a phone call, and when she returned we ordered our food and drinks. The restaurant has a make-your-own Bloody Mary bar on weekend mornings. Holly loves it, but I'm too dumb to make a good mixed drink, so I let Holly work it for me.

We didn't talk much as we sipped our drinks. The waiter delivered our food and gave Holly his number.

I grinned. As soon as he walked away I mocked Holly. "Oooooh, girrrrrrl!"

"Fuck off," she mumbled, shoving a bite of French toast into her mouth.

We finished eating and Holly snatched the check from the table. "I've got this."

I sighed. Not like I had the spare cash to pay for us, but I still had planned on buying her meal at least once on this trip. "Jerk."

She batted her eyes at me. When our waiter returned she handed him the check and a couple of twenties. "Sorry, sweetie, but I live in Vegas."

He grinned. "No problem." He turned to go but she put a hand on his arm. "I don't need change." He blushed and thanked us.

We returned to the apartment and I nudged Holly's elbow. "You realize you left him a fifteen dollar tip, right?"

She giggled. "I was making up for not calling him."

"You're so weird."

Holly and I packed up her belongings and I helped her carry them down to her car.

"I love you girl, I'll come back and visit, soon!" she said, hugging me tightly.

I smirked. "You'd better."

She winked at me, "Do you want me to keep an eye on Zak for you?"

_UGH!_

"No! I'm trying to convince myself that nothing's going to happen, Holly."

"Why?"

I looked at the ground. "It's just too many factors that… Holly, I just don't want to get hurt again."

She kissed my cheek. "Okay, Desiree. I understand."

She got into her car and revved the engine. "Smartass," I said.

She blew me a kiss and put the car in gear. I waved her off down the street.

_Alone at last._

I came back inside and glanced at my phone. Three new texts from Zak. I let out an exasperated laugh and shook my head, tossing my phone back onto the bed.

_I can't do this right now._

I wasn't looking forward to sorting out the jumbled mess of emotions in me that Zak causes. In person he was so endearing, but now that he's back in Vegas… I have too much emotional baggage to cope with uncertainties.

My mantra? When in doubt, procrastinate!

I busied myself the rest of the day with housework to avoid messing with my phone. I did six loads of laundry. I hand-washed every dirty dish in the kitchen. I dusted, swept, mopped, vacuumed, and lint-rolled the couch to relieve it of Sadie's thick fur. I organized my closet, cleaned out my purse, and I even balanced my checkbook.

I went to make my bed and saw my phone blinking at me. Those same three messages…

I turned the damn thing off.

* * * * * * _[Sunday]_

That next morning I finally turned my phone back on and checked the text messages.

[_Well it wouldn't be too much trouble for me to come visit u again_]

[_If u wanted me 2_]

[_Or if u want to come visit LV, just let me know ;)_]

I shook my head. _I dunno about that._ I looked up at my wall clock. It was almost noon, which meant it was time for my Sunday ritual of mooching. I clipped Sadie's leash on her, loaded her up in the car, and we drove the hour-long drive to my parents' house.

When we arrived, Sadie bounded over me, out the driver's side door, and sprinted to the front door of my parents' house. By the time I caught up with her she was already pawing at the doorbell.

She may be a freak of nature, but at least she's a smart one.

Mom opened the door and Sadie rushed her, leaping forward and pushing her paws against my mother's stomach.

"Hello, Grand-dogger! Did you come to see me?" Mom cooed at Sadie, fondling her ears. Sadie got back down on all fours and shot like a cannonball into the house.

"Hey, sweetie," Mom laughed, giving me a hug. My mother has the same olive-colored skin that I have, with darker brown hair and startling green eyes. She is an inch shorter than me and has a slightly more slender build than I do. I inherited my chest and my curves from the women on my father's side; sturdy Kansan farm-girl stock.

We heard an uproar of barking and my father yelling "Hey!" from the living room.

Mom and I followed the noise to see Sadie wrestling with Max, my mother's two year old doberman-coonhound mix. Shaya, my father's greyhound, was watching from her bed in the corner of the living room with a look of disgust on her face. She's an eight year old retired race dog, and is pretty surly around the energizer-pups.

Dad got up from his chair and hugged me. "Good to see you! How was your trip?"

I shrugged. "It was pretty cool."

_CLANGGGGGG!_ Sadie and Max had rolled across the living room in a LooneyTunes-like brawl and had knocked over my father's guitar stands. His acoustic guitar and bass both fell over on their sides.

"DOGS!"

Sadie and Max both shrank down against the floor and slinked over to my father's feet.

My father is 6'4" and broad-shouldered. He sports a short graying goatee, and his light reddish-brown hair that falls down to the middle of his back is almost always in a low ponytail. He's a chemical engineer, and he plays bass like a god. He used to play with a local band every weekend around DFW, but now he mainly just does private bass lessons for the high school in town. He has a good amount of patience for dealing with crazy dogs, but he draws the line at where their destruction intersects with his music.

He frowned down at the mutts. "_NO!_"

Sadie apologetically delivered a tiny lick to the toe of his shoe and army-crawled over to me, trying to hide behind my legs.

Mom put a hand on my shoulder. "Will you help me set the table?"

I nodded. She handed me plates, silverware, and napkins. While I was doing that, she brought a bowl of rosemary potatoes, a romaine-blueberry salad, a plate of grilled corn on the cob, and a platter with a huge steaming porkloin drizzled with homemade raspberry chipotle sauce.

"You did good, Mom." I breathed in the different aromas and sighed. I love my mother's cooking.

Mom poured three bowls of dog food in the laundry room and the three beasts crowded in to eat their lunches as we sat down at the table. Dad prayed a quick blessing over the meal, then we began to load our plates.

"So I know you and Holly went with some of her friends to that concert. Where else did you go?" Mom asked, handing me the plate of roasted corn.

"We went to the Spoetzl Brewery and to Schlitterbahn," I said, taking a cob and passing the plate on to my father.

"Who are her friends?" asked Dad.

I blushed slightly. "Just two single guys and one married couple from Vegas."

Mom stared at me for a moment with a raised eyebrow. She smirked as she put salad on her plate. "So what, it was a week long triple-date?"

My dad's ears went pink. "You did _what?!"_

"No!"

She winked. "You are _so_ lying."

I grumbled as I forked meat onto my plate. "It's _nothing_, Momma! It's not like I have a new boyfriend or anything."

"Why not?"

"You totally talked to Holly, didn't you?"

She has such a horrible poker face. "Maybe."

"Other than the fact that he lives in _Vegas_?" I rolled my eyes. "Mom, do you remember Jake?"

"Yeah."

"And Michael?"

"The wimp you almost married? Of course."

I nodded. "Exactly. I don't need a man."

My dad smiled at me and nudged me under the table with his foot. "I'm still your man, right?"

I giggled. "Of _course_, Daddy."

Mom wasn't done with me. "So… what happened? Was he a jerk or something?"

I threw my hands up in the air. "Nothing was wrong with him! He was very sweet."

Mom laughed at my exasperation. "So because of an abusive, cheating, drug addict, and because of a wimpy man who acted like a three year old, obviously _this_ guy isn't worth getting involved with. That is what you're saying, right?"

"Did I mention he lives in _Las Vegas_?"

Dad nodded. "Paige, she has a point."

Mom grinned at my father and relented. "Okay, fine. It's just that Holly said that the two of you really seemed to hit it off. And, I don't want you avoiding sharing your heart with someone because of the harm that has been done to you by little boys in your past."

"Mom, there are plenty of other reasons why I can't keep a man around, you know?" I pulled the collar of my shirt to the side to reveal one of my scars.

Dad's face went red with rage, and Mom's eyes filled with sadness. "Oh yeah. I'm sorry, honey."

My parents still struggle with how real the demonic attachment is. They know it's there. They were there when I got my scars. But it's not in the forefront of their minds like it is for me.

"Well don't worry, sweetheart. I'm sure that God's got the perfect man out there for you."

_Yeah, right._

* * * * * * [_September_]

It had been a couple of months since the road trip. I had kept in minimal touch with Veronique, Nick, Aaron, and Zak; a text here, an email there, every once in a while a phone call.

Zak was still flirtatious with me, but I was never playing along. I was never ugly with him, but I was keeping the interactions between us as platonic as possible.

It was a Friday afternoon. I had just finished doing a re-design for a customer who had gotten a bad design from a competitor… which is honestly much more difficult than building a design from scrap. It was very tedious, but I had managed to fix the errors and submit the design to the customer three days ahead of schedule.

I was about to make a quick run to the bathroom when my desk phone rang. _Sigh…_ I sat back down in my chair and punch the speakerphone button. "This is Desiree."

"Des, can you swing by for a moment please?" David asked.

I stared at my phone for a moment. "Yeah, sure."

David is my boss. Not only is he a great manager, but he's one of my dad's close friends and sings lead vocals for my dad's band. He's actually the one who stuck his neck out for me to get me into this company 6 years ago, right after I moved back from west Texas.

I walked into his office and sat down. "What's up, Super-Dave?" I called him his nickname my dad gives him hell with.

He looked up at me. "Desiree, listen, before I say anything else, I need you to know what's going on."

I felt a cold sweat.

"All managers have been told to lay off one person per department."

The floor fell out from underneath me. I gripped the arms of the chair and swallowed.

"I don't have anyone that is expendable. Especially you. You work harder than more than half of the department and you are the best when it comes to customer relations and attention to detail. However…" I heard tears behind his voice. "You are single with no kids, and I can either lay off someone else who is the main source of income for multiple people, or I can let you go, knowing that your family lives close by and you can be provided for."

_Great…_

"That's what it comes down to, because believe me, the last thing I want is to lose you. You are on the fast track to supervising positions in multiple departments, you get your job and you do it very, very well."

I dropped my head. I was stunned. David leaned towards me. "This is not an opportunistic housecleaning, Desi. It is honestly managing the people I've been put over in the most ethical way under difficult circumstances." He sniffled and I heard him wipe his face.

"I prayed over this for weeks."

I felt numb. This company had become my life. My heart was broken but wasn't throbbing yet. "Okay" I said as calmly as I could and stood up.

David walked around his desk and gave me a sideways hug. "I will help in any way I can with hunting for other jobs for you. I can't do as much as I want because of the conflict-of-interest mess, but still."

I leaned into his hug. _Uncle David._ "I understand. I'll probably be upset and pissed later, but I get why you made this decision."

I walked back to my office and almost in a trance began to take down my personal fluff and pack my things.

I managed to fit everything into my car. My collapsible filing cabinet, my flair and pictures, my different organizational drawers and holders on my desk.

I had the SysAdmin make a copy of my personal files on my computer before I left, and I sent out an email to my friends in the company, telling them what had happened. I told everyone in my hall goodbye, tearing up three or four times, then drove home on autopilot.


	13. Family Values and Emotional Instability

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XII – Family Values and Emotional Instability**

As soon as I got home I let the dog out and walked her. I poured her a bowl of food and dialed my father.

"Hey, Sweetie! How is your day going?"

Not the time for pleasantries. "Daddy, I was laid off today."

I heard him rustling with something, muttering obscenities. "Really? Why?"

"Everyone else has families to support. I am single, I'm not a mother, and I live close to you guys. I get it, but I'm still out of a job."

"Well I'm sorry, honey! Need me to kick David's ass?"

I laughed. "No, Daddy."

"What are you going to do about your bills?"

I sighed. "My lease renews next month, if I sign another contract, so I guess its good timing. I guess I can find someone to let me rent a room from them until I get another job."

"Don't be ridiculous. You can come and stay with us."

I stared at my phone. The last thing I want is to move home.

But it's not like I exactly have many other options at this point.

"What about Sadie?"

"Desiree, we do not have room yet for the two dogs we _do_ have. I just don't think it's possible to bring her in, too. I can ask around to see if anyone wants a dog?"

I felt tears well up in my eyes. "No Dad, I'll take care of it."

"Okay sweetie. I'm running late for a meeting, but I'll call you when I get home tonight, okay?"

"Yes, sir," I mumbled, hanging up quickly. I heaved a dry sob, then took a couple deep breaths. I looked at Sadie. This was my child. My roommate. I couldn't imagine her not being around, but I didn't know what else to do. I began to worry that she might have to go back to the pound. There aren't many people that are okay with having a hyper sixty pound inside-dog.

_Holly._

Of course! I dialed her number and she picked up on the first ring. "Whuddup, girrrrl? You're off early today."

"Yeah, well, I thought I'd say 'Fuck five o'clock'" I joked, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

Too late. Holly picked up on the tension in my words. "What's wrong?"

"I need to find another job."

"Why, what happened? You love that place."

"Nothing happened… except… Holly, they conducted layoffs today."

"Fuck."

"Exactly."

"You've worked there for six years!" Holly shrieked.

"I know."

"So… what are you going to do?"

"I guess I will move in with my parents. David's working with me to develop contacts to find another job." I sat down heavily on the couch.

"I wonder if this will screw up stuff between him and your dad."

"I hope not… I don't think it will."

"Are your parents okay with you moving in with them?"

"Yeah, I just talked to Daddy. The only problem is, I can't take Sadie with me. That house is just too small for three big dogs."

"Oh no! Desi-bear, I'll take her!"

I breathed a sigh of relief. "That'd be great, I was hoping you'd say that."

"Oh Desiree, I'm so sorry. It'll work out, though. It's not like God didn't see this coming."

"Uh-huh. I gotta go, I'll talk to you later, girl." I hung up.

_God does not drive the ambulance that shows up after the wreck. He's the surgeon that makes the cut_.

But damn this cut was deep.

I sent Zak a text, though I can't imagine why—of all people—_he_ was who I spent my last few seconds of self-control communicating with. [_I'm officially unemployed._]

I laid down on the couch. Pulling Sadie close, I sobbed, letting all the pain and tension flow down my face.

* * * * * *_ [two weeks later]_

I hadn't left the apartment.

I hadn't returned any calls.

I hadn't even gotten out of my bed much at all.

I was stuck in depression. Just the thought of going and doing anything forced a paralysis on me that I couldn't shake.

At ten am I awoke to a knocking on my door. I tried to ignore it as usual, but they persisted. _Fuck._ I dragged myself out of bed and approached the door, trying to decide how to avoid whoever's on the other side. I looked through the peephole.

Mom, Daddy, and Holly were standing there. Holly did a finger-wave at the peephole. "Busted, lady. Let us in."

I sighed and unlocked the door; as soon as it was open I practically fell into my father's arms. Dammit, another wave of fresh tears. The fourth sobfest of the day.

Daddy just wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "It's okay."

Holly put a hand on my shoulder. "So I was talking with your folks about you moving in with them and me taking Sadie."

"Yeah, and?"

"We've come up with an alternative solution, if you're game." Mom said, smiling. She hugged my neck and kissed my cheek.

"What is it?"

Mom smoothed my hair. "You know we have no problems with you moving in with us. But you know we can't take Sadie. And I know how much she means to you."

I blinked. "Okay?"

Holly grinned. "My lease is up in two weeks. Wanna be roomies again?"

"In Vegas?"

Mom nodded, and Dad took a shaky breath. "We've talked through the whole thing, and it's a big change. But maybe a big change is what you need. It works out better in the end this way, because we won't drive you crazy and you will be able to keep Sadie." He winked at my mother. "And we kinda would like to keep the 'clothing optional' rule in effect."

"GROSS!" My parents are one of those rare older couples that still have a good deal of affection for each other. It's sweet… but it's also disgusting when you walk in on a make-out session in the kitchen.

I shook my head. "I _totally _get that. But… I would leave you? Leave Texas? Leave my church? My friends?"

Daddy's face went super-hero. "Desiree, I will always be just a phone call away if you need anything. But really, we can come to visit, and we've got enough put away to fly you down here every other weekend if that's what you want."

Holly nudged me. "Besides, your church podcasts."

I sighed. I didn't want to leave my hometown, but I didn't want to give up Sadie, either. Plus, so far I hadn't heard any promising job leads from David that were local.

"Okay."

Holly squealed and hugged me. "Awesome! I've already picked out a couple of apartments for us to look at."

I sat down on the couch and put my face in my hands while Holly and my mother continued to discuss the transition with each other. My father sat down next to me, putting a reassuring hand on my back.

"It'll be fine, sweetie."

I nodded. I was so overwhelmed at this decision that I couldn't speak.

Oblivious to my internal meltdown, Holly pulled some papers out of her purse and thrust them into my face. "Take a look at these."

Numbly I grasped the sheets and began to scan over them. They were printouts of apartments in Las Vegas and its surrounding suburbs.

"Holly, these are expensive!"

She grinned. "Yeah, they're more expensive than this _dump._" She pulled out another sheet of paper. "But I also found _this_ for you."

I snatched the paper out of her hand. It was a semiconductor materials handling job… and it paid more than twice of what I had been making. "Wow."

She winked at me. "Give 'em a call tomorrow. Anyway, I'm staying with your ass for the next couple days to get you packed up, then you're going with me to check out apartments."

My dad grinned at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Holly actually isn't _that_ good. David emailed me the tip about that job last night."

"Thanks for ruining it." Holly huffed. She opened the door to bring in her suitcase.

My father stood up and gestured to my mother. "We have to get going, but I'll give you a call later to see if you girls need any help." He gave me another long bear-hug. "I dig you."

I grinned. "I dig you too, Daddy."

As soon as my parents were gone, Holly pulled out her laptop and set it on the table in the "dining room". She pulled up websites for a couple of the apartments that she had printed out for me and began to email them about availability.

I picked up my phone. There was only one person I could think of to share this news with, though I was slightly aggravated with myself that it was _him_.

[_Lost my number yet, Zak?_] I hadn't heard from him at all since before I texted him about losing my job.

_You knew it would happen, Desiree. Don't act so disappointed._

[_Hey Desi, sorry 4 the quiet spell! We've been really busy with the show. What happened with ur job?_]

I sighed. I wished I could believe him, but I didn't. [_Laid off._]

[_Shit. What are you going to do?_]

[_I'm moving in with Holly in three days._]

My phone rang. "Holly lives in Las Vegas!" He sounded like a child who got a puppy for Christmas.

_Shit._

"Well yeah…"

"Great! Do you need help moving? We can be down there in two days."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Easy, tiger. Call my dad to coordinate that shit."

"Will do. Text me his number."

"Okay, later."

I hung up and stared at my phone. _What the hell?_ It was strange to me that he was so excited. Of course, I was still in tragedy-mode, which probably doesn't help my perception.

Holly looked up at me over her laptop. "So, what does Zak think?"

"I figured you would have told him your evil plans for me by now," I grumbled bitterly.

"No. I haven't told him a thing… But he does keep asking about you."

I looked up at her. "You have got to be joking."

She rolled her eyes and focused back on her computer screen. "You're hopeless."

* * * * * * _[Monday__]_

After three days of packing, I left my dog and my keys with my father on the way to the airport with Holly. She had bought us first class tickets.

So we can die in style, you know?

I'm terrified of flying. It just doesn't make sense that a big heavy metal _thing_ should be that high up in the air.

As we took off I gripped my seat tightly, keeping my eyes closed. Soon we were up in the air and a stewardess came by offering us drinks.

You serve alcohol? Why yes, thank you, I'll have eight. Anything to quiet the voice in my head screaming that we are going to fall and die at any moment.

When we arrived in Vegas we checked Holly's car out of the airport parking lot and began to hunt down the properties we had picked out. I was still a little silly, so we drove through a fast food joint. By the time I was finished with my fries, I felt sober again. Damned metabolism.

One apartment we looked at was the biggest layout at over two thousand square feet, and was extremely cheap. However, the community it was in looked extremely worn down and the neighborhood seemed questionable. Holly was in love with it, but I convinced her that I wasn't going to trade one ghetto for another.

Another place that we were on the fence with was smaller, but in a good area. It was a reasonable price, but we ended up turning it down. We are car girls, and we need a garage for our babies.

After two days of searching, we finally found a badass condo apartment in a suburban area just west of Las Vegas. It came with two bedrooms, each with their own full bathroom, an office, a large kitchen with an island and a gas stove, a big living room with a fireplace, a half-bath, and a dining room. The whole apartment sat over a two car garage and an extra storage space.

The lease came with gym membership and wi-fi, and the community had three pools, a dog park, plus shopping for blocks all around. It was trendy, despite it's age. The elevator was rickety but the building was clean, the water pressure sound.

Nick, Aaron, and Zak had flown down to Dallas to help my dad load the rental truck. With the last of my junk loaded up, I felt a knot in my throat as Zak closed the rolling doors on the truck. I looked up at my building. I was going to miss this place.

I was jolted out of my thoughts when Aaron laid on the horn of the rental. "Let's go!"

My father joined Aaron in the truck, while Zak and Nick went to their SUV they rented for this trip. Mom, Holly, Sadie, and I piled into Dad's XB, which was crammed with perishables and breakables.

Looking back on it, I don't know that Sadie and breakables in the same car was a smart mix.

Fortunately she likes going for drives. I don't know what the guys' had worked out, but we traded off six hour driving shifts in the XB.

We stopped at a motel off of 215 around noon the next day. Dad shook Aaron's hand as Nick and Zak pulled up beside us.

"We'll offload the truck early tomorrow morning, guys. Thanks for your help."

Nick nodded to him. "No problem, just let us know where to be and when."

Daddy booked two rooms; one for him and Mom, the other for me, Holly, and Sadie. Holly immediately was hounding the front desk for their wi-fi password and flipping through the channels on the television. After I took a shower I laid down to watch trashy reality TV with her, but as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out.

* * * * * *_ [Saturday]_

I awoke to someone banging on our motel room door. I rolled over and squinted at the alarm clock.

5 AM.

"Fuck off!" I yelled, pulling the blankets over my head.

Holly grunted and rolled out of her bed. She walked to the door and cracked it open. "You _do_ realize you just told your father to fuck off, right?"

I stuffed my head under my pillow. Great.

"Yoo hoo!" my father sang from the breezeway.

"What?"

"It's time to get moving, girls!"

Holly disengaged the security chain and opened the door all the way. "I shouldn't have to be up this early. I paid movers to haul my junk in yesterday."

Dad stepped into the room and gave Holly a sideways hug. "Deal with it." He walked over to my bed and yanked the covers off of me.

"Dad, you'd better be glad I don't sleep in the buff."

He laughed. "Get up."

"No."

He motioned to Sadie and pointed at the bed. She ran from her bed on the other side of the room and leaped into the air, landing directly on me.

"OOOF!"

She snuffled my face and licked the tip of my nose. I glared at her. "Bitch."

I heaved her off of me and sat up. "Fine. I'm awake."

Dad backed towards the door. "Ya'll get ready, we'll meet you at the cars in half an hour."

Holly punched me as she walked past me to the bathroom. "Sometimes I hate your family."

I put on a tank top and my yoga capris and laced up my tennis shoes, then went to the bathroom mirror to check the damage on my hair. I tied it up in a knot, securing it with a clip, and splashed water on my face.

_It's too damn early._

While I was waiting for Holly to get out of the shower, I unlocked my phone and texted Zak.

[_We're up._]

Almost immediately my phone rang. "Why the fuck are ya'll moving so early?"

I poured Sadie a bowl of dog food. "It's my dad's idea, not mine. Did you just wake up?"

"Nah. I normally would have gone to bed a couple hours ago, but I decided to just stay up since your dad wanted to get going early."

"You're weird."

Zak laughed gently. "We'll meet you guys at the condo around six."

"Ok. Later." I hung up and sighed.

It hadn't really sunk in until this very moment that I was now living much closer to this man who has been haunting me. I honestly had almost "gotten over" him by the time I had lost my job.

Now that I was possibly going to be seeing him more often, those fucking emotions will flare back up.

"Damn it," I grumbled.


	14. Unpacking Toys and Truths

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XIII – Unpacking Toys and Truths**

Holly, Sadie and I stopped at Starbucks in the XB while my parents drove the truck to our new place. Holly got her usual venti black coffee and I got a tall triple-shot vanilla latte.

Sadie got a banana nut muffin.

When we arrived at the condo, my father and Zak were already beginning to unload furniture from the truck. Aaron and Nick were beginning to stack boxes in the garage. Aaron waved as we pulled up next to the van and hopped out.

Zak jumped out of the back of the truck and knelt down as Sadie and I approached them. He scratched her all over, talking to her quietly as I attached her leash to a latch on the truck.

"Good morning," he said to me, smiling as he straightened up to offer me a hug.

"Not yet," I mumbled. I entered the garage and picked up a box. I opened the garage door to the condo and began to haul the box up the narrow staircase.

My mother was in the kitchen, already beginning to put away dishes from Holly's junk that had already been sorted into the apartment. "Good morning, honey!"

"No it isn't."

She came out of the kitchen to give me a hug. "I love the apartment. You girls did a good job."

"Tell that to Holly. I don't have the income to contribute yet."

She smiled at me. "Don't worry about that. We chipped in a little for you."

Nick and Aaron came in the door behind me, each carrying a box. "Coming through!"

They moved past us and made their way to the larger of the two bedrooms to set the boxes down. I had offered Holly the "master" bedroom, but she insisted that I take it since I'm the one who needs the extra space for a dog bed and kennel. When Nick came back out of the room he gave me a sideways hug. "So how are you getting the Rex here?"

I shrugged. "My dad said he'd take care of that for me. I don't have a clue."

My father opened the front door in the living room. It leads to a hallway that connects the condos to an elevator. Zak was behind him, pushing my bookcase on a roller.

"I'm having a family friend drive it up here on a trailer." Daddy said, pulling the bookcase over the threshold. He gave me a peck on the cheek as he and Zak worked the bookcase past us and into my bedroom. "He should have it here by tomorrow."

* * * * * * _[Noon]_

The condo was beginning to look like a home. The guys had moved all of the furniture into place and we were now unpacking boxes. Sadie had taken to staying in the kitchen with my mom, which was unbelievably helpful that she wasn't under our feet.

As the day had worn on, Dad and Nick had become more and more like kids. They obviously got along, yelling jokes and insults at each other as the last of the furniture was set in place per mine or Holly's instruction. Mom and Aaron were also getting along very well, enjoying each other's sense of humor as they put up picture frames and dishes.

Zak had taken to helping me and Holly with assembling our beds and unpacking things in our rooms. He had been extremely quiet around my parents.

I came out of the bedroom to swipe a bottle of water from the refrigerator. As I cracked it open my mom snagged my elbow.

"How's it going in there?"

"We're making progress."

She winked at me. "He's cute!"

I blinked at her. "Thanks, I guess?"

I returned to the bedroom where Zak was taking a large box off of the stack by the door and setting it in front of my bookcase. He opened it and stared dumbfounded at its contents. "Toys?"

"They aren't just _any_ toys, Mr. Bagans," I said, reaching into the box and pulling out a large T-Rex model. "This is a side of my nerd-dom that you do not know about me, yet."

He shook his head, laughing. "Wow."

We began to pull out the figures, one by one, and set them on the bookcase. There were shelves already built into a corner of the room, so I used _my_ bookcase for my geeky side. Jurrasic Park and Star Wars figures took up four of the shelves.

"What are these?" Zak picked up boxes wrapped in newspaper.

"Cars. Duh," I grinned and took them from him, unwrapping them. "I used to build car models as a hobby when I was in high school."

I set the '88 10-AE RX-7, the '67 Shelby Cobra, and the '99 R1 RX-7 on the fifth shelf. "My mom thinks you're cute."

"I was thinking she didn't like me. She's hardly said two words to me."

I laughed. "Damn cougar! No, she's just shy. She'll warm up to you."

Nick poked his head in the bedroom door. "I'm running to get pizza. Got a preference?"

I shook my head. Zak straightened up and began to break down the now-empty box. "Lots of meat."

I pushed a particularly heavy box over to the room's book shelves. I began to take out books and place them on the bottom shelf. Zak came over and sat down on the floor next to me, helping me unload them. He turned over every book in his hands, looking at the titles.

He opened a book called _Truth and the New Kind of Christian_ and skimmed over a couple pages. His eyes bugged out of his head. "How do you read this stuff?"

I smiled, taking the book from him. "That author _is_ hard to read." I looked it over and set it on the shelf. "I'm only a couple chapters into it so far. He discusses the idea of relative truth."

"You read theological commentaries for _fun_?"

"It's interesting!"

He laughed and put another book on the shelf. "Your brain is weird."

We unpacked three more boxes before Nick returned to the condo with four boxes of pizza. Zak collected the empty boxes from around the condo and took them down to the dumpster while my mother and I set out paper plates and water bottles for everyone.

"So what exactly do you guys do, again?" My father asked as we all sat down, either on the couch, the chairs, or the floor.

Nick winked at me and shrugged. "We're paranormal investigators."

Mom went rigid. She, like me, is very sensitive to that kind stuff. But unlike me, she was never dumb enough to open herself up to it. "So you communicate with spirits?"

"We try to."

"That's brilliant," she said sarcastically. She gave me a look and picked at her pizza.

My father frowned. "Is that how you started hanging out with Desiree?"

The guys all looked at me. I quickly looked down at my food. Aaron was the first to open his mouth. "No, why?"

"I thought you weren't into that stuff anymore," said Zak.

"I'm _not!_" I glared at my father. _Shut UP, Dad!_

Mom put a hand on my shoulder. "Sweetie, they need to know."

"No they don't."

"Need to know what?" asked Nick.

I shook my head. "I sometimes still see this one demonic entity every once in a while, but it's not a big deal, okay? Just drop it."

Zak's eyes widened. He gave me a knowing look, as if to say, _I understand now._

My dad sighed. "Sorry, Des." We finished eating in silence and then resumed the unpacking process.

Around eight PM my parents finally left to begin their long drive home. Daddy gave me a long hug as we walked them out. "I love you, Desiree. We'll let you know when we stop for the night."

"Thanks, Daddy," I said. I turned and hugged mom. "Please be careful driving home!"

"We will." She kissed my cheek. "Call if you need anything."

As soon as they left I came back inside. Holly and Aaron were in her room, hanging things up on her walls and putting her clothing into drawers. Nick and Zak were both standing in the living room, arms folded, staring at me expectantly.

I narrowed my eyes. "What?"

"What are you not telling us?"

I shook my head and threw my hands up in the air. "It's not important!"

Nick frowned. "Apparently not."

"Look, that thing I told you about that threw me across a room? It has stuck around since."

Zak stepped forward and put a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I rolled my eyes. "Look, it isn't need-to-know information. I manage to move along in life without having to announce it to the world. Get over it."

"But you have a demonic attachment!"

"Which doesn't do anything but scare me!" I finished for him, shaking his hand off of my shoulder. "It's not going anywhere. I've tried. The more I talk about it the more it fucks with me. Just leave it alone!"

Zak pulled me into a hug, but I kept my body rigid. "I'm sorry, Desi. I wasn't trying to upset you. I just don't understand why you felt the need to hide that from us."

I sighed. "The truth is… I'm scared for others to find out. I feel like a freak show because of the damn thing."

Zak smiled gently at me. "You aren't."

Aaron and Holly came out of her room and froze when they saw our standoff in the living room. Holly walked over and put an arm around my shoulders. "Des, this is a fresh start. Maybe it won't follow you here."

_That would be nice._ I shrugged and glared down at the floor, a sour look on my face.

Nick nodded to Aaron and finally broke the silence. "Let's let these girls get some rest." He gave me a sideways hug and left. Aaron hugged Holly and started for the door.

Zak put his hands on my shoulders again. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, trying to keep my face blank. I get so frustrated when I'm forced to discuss the Shadow. Zak could tell I was still conflicted, but he just shrugged and gave me another hug, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Sleep well, Doll. Holler if you need anything."

After they all left I got online using Holly's computer in the office. Time to start job hunting, just in case the interview I already had set up falls through. Holly pulled up a chair beside me and sat backwards in it. "That wasn't awkward at all."

_Nope._

* * * * * * _[Three days later]_

I came home with a handle of Grey Goose to celebrate. "We're in business!" I yelled into the condo.

"WHAT?!" Holly poked her head out of the office.

I held up the bottle of vodka and a small security badge. "I have a job! I start tomorrow!"

Holly screamed and laughed. "That was fast!"

I smiled. David had pulled some strings and put in a great word for me at this company. It was too small to be a major competitor, but it did have all the same certifications.

They did more high-end prototype work than production jobs for medical and military contractors. My new manager was very impressed with me and glad that I already had all the certifications and training needed for this job.

The best part was they offered me a relocation package since I was still in the process of "moving in" to the area. I was now able to put gas in my car and pay Holly back for my rent that she had graciously covered when we signed the lease.

I opened the refrigerator and took out a lime and a couple of cans of Sprite. I was just about to slice the lime open when Holly yanked the knife out of my hands.

"You with a knife is unsettling, woman," I said. She gripped the knife and rocked back and forth, mocking me with a crazy look on her face. She put the knife back in the drawer and put the vodka in the freezer.

"Fuck the whole drankin' at home shit. We are _so_ going out to celebrate."

I slumped. "I don't want to."

She gave me a weird look, then returned the vodka bottle to the counter next to me. "Okay party pooper." She went into the living room and turned on our Netflix

I made two stiff Vodka-Sprites and squeezed the lime into them.

"Blood, explosions, or peeing-on-ourselves comedy?"

I plopped down next to her and offered her one of the glasses. "Explosions."

"Guns?"

"And badass fight scenes."

"And fast cars."

"And lots of gleaming muscles."

"Woman, you read my mind." She smirked and settled back on the couch, selecting some movie. I honestly didn't care what we watched, I just didn't want her worrying about me.

"What I wouldn't give to have Michael Bay's babies." She took a long swill of her drink.

"Gross."

* * * * * * _[One week later]_

I loved my new home. It felt cozy and safe. My room was big enough that it didn't get cluttered quickly. I had car posters, signed band photos, and artwork posted all over my walls, with red, yellow and black linens on my bed. My giant vinyl Ferrari sign was pinned up over my bed to complete the theme.

Not the most feminine of looks, but I've never been a _Better Homes and Gardens_ kind of girl.

Holly's room was black and white and hints of blue, with most of the black being satin or lace. She had kind of a Paris theme going with the stuff on her walls. The living room and dining room also had black iron and black lace accents, with pale blue and silver curtains, and the kitchen was mostly themed with bronze and grey or black, with dark marble countertops.

With all this black, you'd think we would NOT have a mostly white dog.

No one said we were smart.

It was nice that Holly and I have similar interior decorating styles; very artsy-fartsy without the priss. We didn't argue once when picking out colors or fabrics or anything for any part of the condo that would be shared.

Sadie was settling in very well. We still ran every night when I got home from work. On Saturdays I'd take her to the dog park and we'd play in the pool they have there for the larger dogs. She'd even made friends with some of our neighbors' dogs.

On top of all of that, I loved my new job. I got along with most of the people I worked with, though I was in a bit of a culture shock for a day or so. Things are different in Texas than they are here, apparently.

I had already met with two customers, been on the phone with five, and had already completed three complex materials jobs, two of which were a day ahead of schedule. Not bad for a first week.

But I was still depressed. Other than being homesick, I didn't really have a tangible reason. I had gotten very antisocial, and it was bugging the hell out of Holly. Whenever she would go out, I'd stay in. When she would get home from work, I'd go hide in my bedroom unless she managed to snag me to watch a movie or eat with her. I just could feel weight on my chest almost all the time and I really couldn't figure out why.

Well, one night I found out.

Sadie and I had gone for our nightly run. When we got back, I shucked off my tennis shoes at the door and let us in. I unclipped her leash and reached over to turn on the lights in the foyer.

I flicked the switch. Nothing happened.

I froze in the dark. It was silent in the apartment. Sadie wasn't wiggling around either, which is even stranger. I felt goosebumps prickle all over my arms and legs, even on my face. I gasped, recognizing this familiar terror.

"H-Holly?" I finally found my voice.

Silence.

I felt my scars burning. Very _Harry Potter_, I know, but it's just what happened. Then an extremely creepy voice approached me in the dark.

. . ._You will not run from me_. . .

I felt tears well up in my eyes. _Oh no…_ I could feel the atmosphere becoming thicker, like there were weights pressing on my lungs. My blood was ringing in my ears as I scanned frantically to see where the voice was coming from.

Suddenly I was pitched forward into the living room by the door swinging open behind me. Immediately the lights came on and the presence vanished.

Holly walked past me, oblivious, and dropped groceries on the dining room table.

I swallowed the tears and horror from my face before she turned around to greet me. "Hey girl!"

"Hey," I replied weakly.

She gave me that look again. She knows when something is up. She also knows she's capable of worming anything out of me, but she was wrestling with if she should or not. She shrugged.

"Wanna help me make dinner?"

"Um… Sure." I glanced over the living room one more time, but the Shadow's presence was gone.


	15. Interventions and Martinis

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XIV – Interventions and Martinis**

It was a Friday night and I was relaxing on the couch, reading out of my Kindle. Holly had gone out an hour or so ago, and wore me out trying to talk me into coming with.

_Good grief, woman, let me be._

I heard the key jiggling in the lock. I tightened up. I hadn't experienced the shadow in a couple weeks, but it still worried me. The door flew open and Holly stumbled in. Obviously drunk.

I looked at the time. Eight PM. _Really?_

"You damn lush! What are you doing getting throwed before eleven?"

She giggled. "Throwed… like a nerf foot ball!" she slurred out the inside joke from our hardcore partying days.

"Crazy bitch," I turned off my Kindle and stood up. "Are you okay? Honestly." I walked to the door she'd left open to close it… but a massive frame was in the way.

"Zak?"

His eyes had a sultry look to them, and he was wearing his winning smile. He pulled from behind his back a red rose. "Hello, Desiree."

I mentally did an eye-roll. I hadn't talked to him at all since he helped us move in. He had texted me a couple of times, but I hadn't responded. I was still unsure as to how to approach whatever the hell was going on between him and me.

Aaron peeked around Zak. I heard Nick's voice imitating a southern drawl in the hallway. "Don't you loose that southern hospitality, now, ma'am!" I heard Veronique laugh.

I blushed. "Sorry. Come on in." I pointed to the kitchen and said, "There's Shiner in there if you guys are interested."

_Oh yeah. _ Zak was still holding the red rose, now with an awkward look on his face. I turned to face him and gave him a smile.

"Thank you, Hulk." I started to reach for the flower. His gaze shifted down from my eyes.

_Shit_. I looked down. I was wearing a very thin bright blue satin and lace tank top with satin leopard print pajama pants. Not too naked, but my leopard print bra was more than a little visible underneath the cami.

"DAMMIT! Excuse me!"

I darted away from him and ran into my bedroom. I grabbed the first shirt I laid my hands on and yanked it on over the cami.

A.D.D. forgot to close the bedroom door.

Zak loomed in the doorway, his eyes dangerously playful. He cocked his head as he studied my worn out Bloom County shirt.

Once again, Zak presented me the flower, smirking as he walked slowly towards me. "This is a new game of 'playing hard to get', right?"

I blushed hard. "No, I'm sorry! I wasn't expecting company." I reached out to take the rose again, but when I grasped the stem… he didn't let go.

_Uh-oh…_

"So… what's the name of _this_ game, Mr. Bagans?" I stammered, not letting go of the stem. His eyes roamed over me, not saying a word. I felt myself break out in a sweat.

He slowly lifted the rose, with my hand still attached, smiling wickedly. He then bent his head to the side and kissed the back of my hand seductively.

Once.

Twice.

He let go of the flower and looked down at me.

Okay, I'll give it to him. _That_ was sexy. I studied his face carefully, trying to read his mind.

_Oh, maybe I should lower my hand from his face._ Dumbass. I blushed again and he laughed softly.

I crossed my arms across my chest. "What brings you guys here?"

He took another step towards me. "Holly called us to deliver an intervention, so we are kidnapping you and taking you to a club. She says you've been extremely depressed since the move, and she can't get you to leave the apartment."

"Hey, that's no fair, I go to work."

He took another step towards me and gently ran his knuckles down my cheek. "Smartass." His hand then turned over and tucked a lock of my curls behind my ear. He let his palm cup my face and slide down my neck to rest on my shoulder.

I was frozen, afraid of his touch, but pathetically, afraid of his touch stopping. This was a different interaction with Zak than I'd ever had in the past. He was turning on the charm hardcore.

His other hand grasped my hand by my side and his face started to lean in towards mine.

Holly poked her head in the door. "How's the intervention going?"

Aaron called from the living room, "Dude, DON'T answer that!"

Zak laughed and looked at me, nervously paralyzed in front of him. He was fully aware of his control over me at this moment… and he was obviously enjoying it.

"You dick!" I managed to hiss through gritted teeth. "You like terrifying me like this."

At this his eyes darkened and he let go of my left hand and slid his right hand up to my shoulder. He applied gentle pressure, backing me up to my bed and forcing me to sit down.

Before I could jump back up, he put both hands on my shoulders. He kneeled on the floor in front of me so that we were face to face, his eyes searching me again. Not my body this time. My eyes.

Okay, maybe my beet-red face at this point, too. I was weak, and I was embarrassed that I was weak.

He took my face in both hands and gave me a reassuring look that evaporated some of my anxiety. He leaned in once again and he pressed his nose and forehead against mine. I scrunched my eyes closed.

I felt his breath on my face.

I felt his lips graze against mine.

_No, no, no…_

"If you only knew what you do to me, Desiree, then you would call us even," he whispered. At that he planted a quick, harmless peck on my lips and then withdrew.

_UGH!_ I let out an exasperated sigh and threw my hands up. "Fine, fuck it, let's go."

Holly and Veronique whooped from the other room.

* * * * * * _[11PM]_

We walked into a nightclub and found a couple of couches and a table to claim. We were stuffed with sushi and were loose from sake, after eating at a Japanese steakhouse on the strip. The club was playing lounge house. Very chill.

Unless you were so inclined to dance… or in my case, if you were drunk enough.

Holly was wearing a short, gold sequined dress showing off her well endowed chest and had on matching gold 7-inch heels. He sandy hair was up in gold geisha pins and her eyes were brushed with bronze. She topped it all off with her trademark: Slut-red lipstick.

Aaron had gotten over the fact that Holly was more than likely NOT girlfriend material, but he still seemed to really dig her, from the way he let her lead him out onto the dance floor.

Veronique laughed as Holly started dancing all over him. "Wow. She's… um… flexible."

I giggled. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure she was a pole dancer in her past life."

I let my mind get lost in the music for a while, every once in a while coming back to enjoy my surroundings. Nick and Veronique were sitting on the couch across from me and Zak. Nick was nuzzling her neck, whispering in her ear and nipping from her ear to her shoulder while doing so. She was talking back to him the whole time, and they both kept giggling.

So fucking cute.

Veronique was decked out in a short red dress with no sleeves and ruching down the front and the back, molding to her chest and her ass perfectly. She wore red strappy sandals and her long blonde hair poured past her shoulders.

I glanced over at Zak. He was wearing the same thing he wore at my house, but I was too nervous then to take notice. He had on a black button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and jeans that showed off that Greek-god-backside.

I was snockered enough to not let my anxieties and doubts about him bug me. _Tonight, he's mine_, the alcohol in my body was saying.

You know, the voice of reason.

He caught me looking him over and stood up, holding his arms out and doing a slow mocking spin for me. "Do you approve?"

I snorted, and then tried to play nonchalant. I shrugged. "You'll do."

This earned a shriek of laughter from Veronique.

His eyes darkened again. _Oops._

He smiled viciously and grabbed my hands, pulling me to my feet. "My turn."

He twirled me slowly. I was wearing a black mini-dress with diagonal strips of black lace across the stomach, showing skin underneath. My right shoulder and arm were covered in this same black lace, while my left side was bare. My dark brown curls were partially pulled up but still spilled over my face and neck, and the red highlights shined in the club lighting. I wore 6 inch black lace peep-toe pumps with gaudy black bows on the backs of the heels, and I had way too much black eye shadow and eyeliner on, with sheer lip gloss.

I could feel his eyes drink me in hungrily. Then the sake in me came up with a plan. As I finished the twirl, I flourished a curtsey and then lunged forward and grabbed at his collar.

"Dance with me," I purred, beginning to sway and bounce my hips to the music.

_Silly Desiree wants to play._

He laughed uncertainly, surprised by my sudden boldness. "I dunno, I don't want you to break an ankle." He wrapped both arms around my waist and backed us out from the couches. He turned and keeping a hand at the small of my back, steered us towards the bar.

We got up to the bar and I leaned heavily on it. "Yeah, I guess these shoes aren't exactly safe for drinking and dancing."

I felt his right hand leave my back and saw it make a heavy contact with the bar to my right, and his left hand did the same to my left. He then took a small step forward and I felt his chest come into contact with my shoulders. I breathed in deeply the scent of his cologne and sighed. _Nom._

I felt his face press into my curls, inhaling the scent of my shampoo. "Mm-hmm. …Whatcha drinkin, hot stuff?"

"Surprise me."

At that he took another step forward, gently letting his entire body slowly come into contact with mine. "That is a dangerous request, Desiree," he growled in my ear.

"Well hell, if you can't handle it—I don't want to put you in danger!" I baited him.

He took the bait. His hands left the counter and he spun my shoulders so that I was facing them. He then let his hands trace down my back, resting on my hips with a firm grip, pulling me against him. His mouth looked like he was holding back fire. "I meant dangerous for you, doll."

He leaned in and our noses touched, his eyes revealing his intentions in no uncertain terms. As he kept pressing closer I quickly turned my head, spun, and flagged down the bartender.

_Not like this, buddy._

I felt him laugh behind me. "Rum and coke," he said to the bartender.

"Grey Goose martini. Very very dry, with two olives, please."

The bartender handed us our drinks and Zak paid him. We wandered about the club for a bit, checking out the different rooms and styles of music. I felt him take my hand in his as we walked.

I wandered between the main bar and main dance floor area, where a hallway led to a backup bar and a patio. There was a bar-like ledge along one side of the wall for drinks and drug deals. I leaned a shoulder against it. I was mentally debating exploring the patio.

I had just taken another sip of my martini when, before I could pull the glass from my lips, Zak grasped the glass and relieved me of it. He turned and set the drink on the ledge. He downed his own in two gulps and slammed his glass down, turning a smoldering look on me.

I felt my cheeks grow red. _Fuck._ "Why are you looking at me like I'm lunch?"

He grinned. "You really want me to answer that?"

"I mean, there are plenty of better candidates here that have been undressing you with their eyes all night."

_Queen Insecurity for the win._

He blinked at me. "What?"

I sighed. "I'm no supermodel."

At that he backed me up against the smooth side of the wall and whispered huskily, "Stop. I'm here with _you._ Not to mention you look smoking hot."

_I do?_ I've never been one to have much of a positive self-esteem. Not really sure where the insecurity spawned from, but the boyfriends in the past managed to do more damage than good on my already damaged ego. I don't think I'm _bad_ looking, but I've never looked in the mirror and thought "smoking hot" was a possibility.

I gave up, wrapping my arms around his neck as he pressed his lips to my forehead. "Okay…"

I was cut off by a sigh from my own lips as his hands began to ravage me. They coursed like molten lead over my shoulders, down my spine, over my hips. I watched the fire in his eyes as his hands drew back up the backs of my thighs to pause a firm grip on my ass.

A pathetic moan escaped me. _Oh, YUM…_

He purred a response and continued to explore. He leaned his forehead against the wall over my right shoulder, eyes closed and taking ragged breaths. His hands went back to my hips, then slowly up my stomach. They travelled lightly around my chest and gently caressed my neck. His left hand pushed the curls off my neck and he brought his mouth close, giving me goosebumps as I felt his breath on my skin.

Suddenly I felt him freeze. Two fingers pulled aside the fabric on my right shoulder.

_Shit._

He pulled back and looked at me. "You weren't joking about being attacked."

Bam. Romantic feelings gone.

I slid out from between him and the wall and picked up my drink. He followed, putting a hand on my back. "I'm so sorry, Desiree," he whispered.

I shrugged and held my voice steady. "It's okay. We can talk about it later." It wasn't okay, but it was not exactly club conversation. I turned to head back to the others.

He came up behind me and stopped me by wrapping an arm around me protectively. He tugged at the same spot on my dress, inspecting the three lines. He places small, slow kisses along the scars as far as he could, then moved the kisses to the back of my neck. He started to slow them down and began to engage his tongue. I shuddered.

"We should get back to the others."

He let a groan escape into my hair and he smoothed my dress. "You're right."

When we got back to our couches, a very drunk Nick giggled at us. "And where did _you_ kids run off to?"

Zak shot daggers at him, but Nick was oblivious. Fortunately, Veronique caught on and distracted Nick with a long, sloppy kiss. I mouthed to her a grateful "thank you," and she winked at me in response. I collapsed down onto the couch and breathed out slowly.

Zak sat down next to me and put an arm around the back of the couch behind my shoulders.

"So when were you scratched?"

I cut my eyes over at him. "Which time?"

His eyes grew wide as I stood up to demonstrate – probably more of an answer than he bargained for. I traced the lines of all the different 3-lined scars for him across my body. I watched his facial expressions carefully, waiting for the _fuck this_ look to show up, but it never did.

"And you wonder why I don't play with that stuff anymore?" I tossed back the rest of my drink in one gulp.

Zak blinked, looking conflicted. I sat back down and drew into myself, feeling the inevitable isolation setting in. I watched Holly and Aaron on the dance floor for a while, losing myself in my thoughts. Eventually they returned to the group, and there was meaningless small talk between everyone regarding styles of music and different clubs in the area. Holly and Veronique began a back and forth one-liner commentary on the various people dancing nearby. It was hilarious, but my mind just wasn't in it.

After another hour of observing the talking, drinking, and laughing among my friends, I suppose Zak finally picked up on how disconnected I was. I felt his mouth on my ear. "Wanna get outta here?"

I nodded. "Sounds good."

We said goodbye to our friends and made our way out of the club. As we walked in the cool night air to his car, he held my hand the whole way. He opened the passenger side door for me and helped me in. When he got in on the drivers' side he leaned over, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close.

"Sorry to break the mood in there, doll."

I smiled back, but said nothing. I was conflicted myself.

He put the car in gear and looked over at me. "Where to?"

"My place." I had managed to get down a few more drinks after Zak had discovered my scarring, so I was still rather tipsy. I would have no shot at keeping my hands to myself at his place, or keeping my clothes on.

Also I had the entire car ride home to talk myself out of inviting him in.

He smiled at me and taxied out of the lot.


	16. Scar Stories and Slumber Parties

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XV – Scar Stories and Slumber Parties**

It was around 1:30 AM when we finally pulled into my driveway. Zak offered me his arm as we exited his car and walked around the side of the building to the elevator. Holy and I had only been given one garage door-opener keychain so far for the condo, and right now it was with her. I turned my key in the elevator and turned to face him while we waited on it to open.

He grinned devilishly.

"Stop that! I will not sleep with you."

He barked out a laugh. "Wow! That's not exactly what I was expecting!"

_Damn._ "Just drawing the line in the sand," I mumbled. The elevator door slid open.

"I could use the company though. As long as you keep your hands in check."

_Shut UP, Desiree!_

He smiled a genuine smile and stepped with me into the elevator. "Pretty sure I can manage that."

As soon as we were in the door, I ran for my bedroom where Sadie's kennel was. I let her out and she bounced around my feet while I changed back into my pajamas I was wearing earlier that evening, trading in the leopard-print bra for a much more conservative sports bra.

Really, anything but this ridiculous dress!

I rummaged through my drawers and found one of my dad's old work T-shirts that I sleep in, and a pair of basketball shorts. I came back out into the living room, and handed them to Zak, who was lounging on the couch. He held up the shirt and inspected the neon logos on the back.

"Heavy Metal?" He looked it over. "Very 90's"

"So? It's black."

He laughed at me and got up. "Thanks, doll."

"Bathroom's that-a-way" I pointed. I clipped Sadie's leash on her and let her drag me down the stairs and out the garage.

When we got back, I went to the kitchen and poured her half a bowl of dog food. I was hungry, but I wasn't sure what to eat.

I opened the refrigerator door and stared blankly at its contents. Holly is better at keeping the thing stocked than I am, so coming home to actually having snack options was still a little foreign to me. I finally settled on a cheese stick.

It wasn't Del Taco, but it'd do.

Before I could pull back, a pair of hands was placed gently on my hips, causing me to jump slightly.

_Zak._

He slid his right hand up my back and I felt him trace his fingers slowly from my neck, down across my shoulderblades, following the scar he discovered earlier. "How have I not seen these?"

I sighed, grabbed a second cheese stick, and straightened up. Avoiding his stare, I held out a cheese stick for him. He blinked, like he was changing mental gears, and took the stick from my hand. I herded us to the couch.

"So you _have_ tried to get rid of it, right?" Zak asked me, still staring from my eyes to my scar and back.

"Yes. My old church was involved. The pastors and elders prayed over me, along with my parents." I sighed deeply. "It didn't go well."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… Really we just pissed it off."

"And?"

"It gave me the scars you're seeing. I'd never been scarred from scratches before." I pulled down my pajama pants to show the prominent scratches on my leg.

_Thank God for boyshort undies._

"All in all, we weren't able to detach it from me. At first I was mad. I thought maybe my faith wasn't strong enough, or the pastors' and elders' faiths weren't where they needed to be, but over time I have come to accept the possibility that this thing fits into God's plan for me, somehow."

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Paul had a demon." I quoted Paul from II Corinthians, as well as I could, anyway. "'Three times I pleaded with the Lord that this should leave me. But He said to me "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest upon me. Therefore, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities, for when I am weak, then I am strong.'"

He cocked his head, frowning. "Some loving move on God's part, right?"

"I've been taught something painfully beautiful, through both the stories in the Bible and the experiences I've been through. God will often break your hands in order to force you to let go of stuff in this world, so that you have to hold on to him. I believe it's something I'm just gonna have to deal with for the time being, and I'm okay with that."

"What? Why?"

I smiled gently. "Because Christ is better."

"But… See, I know this exorcist…"

"I'm not really convinced of the authoritative power of exorcists. Playing with holy water and reciting ancient incantations, though in the name of the Church, it just sounds too much like witchcraft to me."

"Hmm."

"I just don't believe it can have any weight unless the power of Christ is present. Like in Acts when some Jewish exorcists try to cast out a demon by saying 'in the name of Jesus, Paul's God.' The demon responds with 'I know Jesus and I've heard of Paul, but who the fuck are you?' and proceeds to beat the shit out of them. They abandon the exorcism and run out of the house bloody and naked. Obviously telling something to leave just because you say it 'in the name of Christ' isn't what works. It doesn't protect you… especially if you get schooled so bad that you had the pants beat off of you."

Zak laughed uneasily. "You make it sound like exorcists have a death wish."

"I've never met one, so I wouldn't know."

He leaned into my shoulder. "So what do you think about what we do with _Ghost Adventures_?" He raised a daring eyebrow at me.

I held up my hands. "Whoa, I'm not saying that you should stop what you're doing. But I'm saying that you need to know what the historic consequences are of what you're playing with. I know these all too well, which is why I don't mess with it anymore."

"Why don't you like to talk about it?"

_Is that a trick question?_ "The Shadow has a habit of hurting the people I get close to… more specifically, the _men_ I get close to."

I leaned back against his chest, finally letting my guard down. "I don't think I could handle you getting hurt beyond return because of me."

"Don't worry, sweetie. It takes more than a stupid demon to scare me off."

_Pompous ass_, I thought. I flipped on the television and handed him the remote. He navigated to NetFlix and started Goodfellas.

"Good choice…" I yawned. He gave me a gentle squeeze and we settled into a half-cuddle position on the couch.

Apparently I had drifted off to sleep. I awoke to Zak's voice whispering in my ear. "Desiree, you need to go to bed."

I looked around. I was snuggled against his chest, his arm draped over my shoulders.

"Mmm… Sorry," I purred and snuggled closer.

He chuckled. Scooping me into his lap, he stood up and carried me to my room. He laid me gently on the bed and brushed my hair from my face, placing a soft kiss on my forehead.

"You don't need me to walk you out?"

_Hostess with the mostess. _ Good grief.

He smiled. "Believe it or not, I think I can manage." He straightened up and froze. I watched, trying to read the expression on his face, but then whatever hit him hit me, too. I shivered.

His eyes widened and he spun towards the doorway, but there was nothing there. "What the hell?'

"Welcome to my world, Mr. Bagans." I glanced at the alarm clock by my bed. _Yep._

3AM.

"I'm usually asleep by now so even if it does visit, the worst thing that happens is I have nightmares. Just ignore it."

I could see him tensing up, like he was mentally preparing for a battle. "Zak."

"Hmm?" he didn't turn toward me, those eyes focused on the doorway. There was something ferocious in his tone of voice… almost dangerous.

"Don't fuck with it right now, dude." I didn't want to play ghost hunter, I wanted to go to sleep. I rubbed my arms to ward off the cold, taking exaggerated breaths against the heavy air.

He finally turned to me. "Do you need me to stay here with you tonight?"

_No, I can handle it_… _what am I thinking?!_ "Please?"

"Want me to sleep on the floor?"

_Well you sure as _hell_ aren't sharing a bed with me!_ I pointed out the bedroom door. "We've got a fold-out in the office."

He came and sat down next to me on the bed, staring at me with wonder and concern in his eyes. "You seem so damn calm about that thing just showing up like that."

I reached over him to my nightstand and pulled out my little thinline ESV Bible. I turned to a page I am on often and sat back on the bed, not really caring that Zak was here or if he heard it or not. I needed to diffuse the tension in the room.

**There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit…**

I looked up. Zak's eyes were locked on mine with an unreadable expression on his face.

**You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.**

**So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.**

I closed my eyes and sighed, quoting the next verse that broke my heart all those years ago.

**For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "_Abba!_ Father!"**

I felt tears well up behind my eyes as I looked back down at the page.

**The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.**

**For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.**

I crossed my legs and leaned on my elbows while I continued to read.

**For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.**

The goosebumps on my arms vanished.

…**And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.**

Zak put an arm around me and leaned in so he could read over my shoulder.

**What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.**

I felt the vibration of a growl from the doorway, but I refused to look up. _I won't stop. I won't bow to you._

**Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.**

I felt the atmosphere relent and the darkness begin to fade.

**For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.**

I looked around my room and lowered my voice to avoid sounding aggressive, "Once again, you've found yourself lacking. I've been bought and paid for." I closed my eyes and let out a pleading, "go away." I closed the book and took a deep breath, feeling much more comfortable.

Zak just stared at me, mulling over all he'd just heard.

"So _that's_ different from reciting exorcism rites?" he scoffed, though gently.

I glared at him. "I'm not rehearsing an incantation. I'm reading a reminder of why I believe what I do and why the demon has no power over me."

I decided to avoid a lengthy discussion—for the time being—and stood up, heading for the office. I tossed the couch cushions onto the floor and pulled on the metal rails visible in the couch. Slowly the bars screeched and the temporary bed unfolded out into the room. "We haven't put sheets on it yet, hang on." I turned around and nearly bowled Zak over.

"Oops!" I looked up at him. He was grinning sheepishly, already holding a quilt and a set of linens in his arms.

"How did you find those?"

He leaned down and gave me a small kiss on my cheek. "I'm just awesome like that."

I rolled my eyes and walked around him, going to the linen closet between our living room and bedrooms. The door was already ajar. "Or you're just nosy!" I said to him, pulling out a couple of pillows and closing the door behind me.

"Maybe I'm a ninja."

"Well yeah, there's that."

He spread out the sheets and tucked them into the mattress, then took the pillows from me and tossed them onto the bed.

"That does that." He turned to me and without warning scooped me up in his arms. He carried me back to my bedroom and set me down on my bed.

I blinked. I really was going to suck it up for the night—being alone after another incident with the Shadow—but I couldn't help trembling.

Zak looked down at me. "You sure you don't want me to stay in here?"

I shook my head and crawled under the covers, putting my back to him. "I—I'll be fine."

I felt weight behind me and quickly turned around to see Zak climbing on to the bed next to me. He put an arm over me and reached under the covers for my hand. "How about I stick around until you fall asleep?"

I never answered. The moment his arm was around me, I felt peace and had slipped away. _Thank you, Zak._

* * * * * * _[5AM]_

I awoke to feeling a hand run down the length of my body. I froze. It was still dark outside.

_Who's here?_ …_Oh._ It was Zak's hand.

My mind immediately went to panic. Why is he sleeping over? Why did I let him share my bed with me? What the hell was I thinking?!

"Zak?"

"Mm-hmm," he hummed in my ear, breathing a kiss behind it. His hand caressed my neck and slid down my shoulder.

"What are you doing in here?" I rolled over to face him. He smiled at me. "I was protecting you while you fell asleep. I guess I passed out, too."

This man was in bed with me. _This_ man. We hadn't even kissed, yet apparently we were sharing a bed. It was beyond out-of-character for me, though I wasn't sure if this was out of the norm for him or not.

_If Holly was here to see this… Good God, I'd never hear the end of it._

"Am I dreaming?"

He held my face in one hand and pressed his forehead to mine. "No, sweetie, you aren't." He then paused, as if he were holding himself back, but then leaned closer and let his mouth connect with my lips. It felt like he had poured every ounce of his affection into this one small piece of physical contact.

I was frozen, unable to respond.

He slowly pulled back and studied me. "You still don't trust me, do you?"

_I really don't want to answer that._

"So that poor little fold-out bed is probably starting to get lonely out there," I mumbled.

He sighed warily and nodded. "You're probably right." He pushed a lock of my curls out of my eyes and kissed my forehead. "Goodnight, Doll."

He got up and quietly left the room. I heard the screeches and pings from the fold-out mattress from his weight. I sighed.

_You are _such_ a cock-tease, Desiree._


	17. Blueberries, Cars, and Puppy Dogs

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XVI – Blueberries, Cars, and Puppy Dogs**

I awoke to sunlight pouring in my window. I squinted and sat up. Sadie noticed the movement and immediately jumped up on my bed to greet me.

"You _stink_, dog! Get off me!"

She wilted and slithered off the bed, still wagging the tip of her curved tail and snorting at me.

I got up and tiptoed into the living room. I blinked at partially-open office doors. _Oh… yeah._ I peeked into the office to see Zak sprawled out on his stomach. I smiled and quietly walked over to the side of the fold-out.

_I wonder if he's as pure as he looks when he sleeps_.

I let my free hand run softly over his back and shoulders, my fingers tracing the swells and creases of muscular definition. He took a deep breath in response. I engaged my nails in the exploration of his back and arms and I saw a smile curl on his face.

"Mmm, that feels amazing," he mumbled.

I smiled. I finished off by running a hand through his thick hair, and then straightened back up and sat on an arm of the couch. "Time to get up, Conan."

He sighed and propped himself up on his elbows, staring at me. "Desiree…"

"What do you want for breakfast?" I interrupted. I still wasn't too sure how I felt about him… or about him staying over. _Again… what was I thinking?_

He just stared at me with an unreadable smile. "Whatever you want sounds good to me."

I grinned. "Okay."

I exited the office just in time to see Holly staggering in the door from the garage. She gave ma half-assed salute. "Hey, woman."

"Hey sweetheart, how hung over are you?"

I can mimic a damn good June Cleaver when I want to.

She flopped onto the couch, groaning, and beckoned Sadie into her lap. Sadie leaped onto her thighs and pressed her weight against Holly's chest, resting her head on the back of the couch over Holly's shoulder.

I smirked, "Must be bad, you're letting the polar bear on our black couch!"

"Eat shit and die."

"Want hangover-eggs?"

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

I laughed out loud. "Alrighty. Eggs for three coming up."

Her eyes flew open. Before she could question me I darted into the kitchen.

I cracked six eggs in a bowl. I poured in a little water, a little lime juice, and a cup each of extra-spicy pico de gallo and fresh blueberries. I began mixing it all together.

"Ahem!" Holly was standing in the doorway, hand on one hip, giving me her ultimate bitch-glare. I raised my eyebrows, glancing over at her but keeping my focus on the mixture in my hands.

"You know, it's hard for me to take you seriously when your makeup looks like that."

She consciously rubbed under her eyes to remove the raccoon-like rings that her eyeliner had produced in her sleep.

"_Three_?"

"Yes?"

"You brought him _home_?!"

"Relax. Nothing happened."

She sighed and joined me. She poured olive oil in a pan and set it on the stove along with a griddle. She turned on the burners and pulled a package of bacon out of the refrigerator. "Nothing happened, my ass. You two were _all_ over each other at the club!"

"So?" I poured the egg mixture into the pan and set the bacon on the griddle.

"Why did you even invite him in? Moreover, why didn't you tell him to go home when you were ready to crash?" She took one of my hands and looked at me earnestly. "I _know_ you, Des. You are the last person on the planet to get cozy with a guy, _even_ when you've been drinking."

I shrugged her off. "I wasn't tired, so I invited him in for a movie."

"Uh huh?"

"And…" _Shit._ "The Shadow showed up and it freaked us out. He offered to stay."

Holly went pale. She drew me into a tight hug. "I had no idea it would follow you here! God… I'm sorry, girl."

"You and me both. So where were _you_?"

She stuck out her tongue. "Bet you'd like to know."

We heard footsteps and turned to see Zak wandering out of the office. He plopped down behind the bar on one of Holly's trendy barstools that we swiped from some bar in Addison. He ran a hand through his hair and yawned.

"Morning, princess," he said to Holly.

She looked from him to me and smirked. "Heya, blue-balls."

Zak grinned. "Slut."

"Freak."

"Carpet-muncher."

"Meat-wad."

"Twat waffle."

I smacked a palm to my forehead. "So glad to hear you two getting along." I turned the bacon and began stirring the eggs a little faster.

Holly giggled and walked over to Zak, placing a peck on his forehead. "Of course."

Zak sniffed the air. "Bacon?"

"Hell yeah! Meat candy." I wadded up a paper towel and threw it at Holly to get her attention. "Holly, could you set the table? I can't stop stirring the eggs right now."

Holly groaned, hangover still in full swing. She set out butter, honey, apricot preserves, blueberry jam, salt and pepper. This hiatus from conversation was making me nervous. I could feel Zak's eyes on me, burning holes in me, even with my back to him.

Holly popped some bread into the toaster oven and poured herself a glass of orange juice. "Des, what do you want to drink?"

"Grapefruit juice."

"Hulk?"

He blinked. "Milk."

"Roger that."

Ten minutes later the pico-blueberry eggs were ready and I divided them onto three plates. I added the toast, then the bacon, giving Zak's plate a little extra worth since he probably weighed more than Holly and I combined.

Zak sat down at the table while Holly ran to the living room to turn on some music.

"Are you serious?" I set the plates on the table and sat across from Zak as smooth jazz began to filter in from the entertainment system.

She giggled as she returned to the table. "Why not?"

Zak studied his plate… more specifically, his eggs.

"Are these… blueberries?"

"Yeah."

He scrunched his nose. "Really?"

I squeezed his hand. "Trust. Besides… if you hate it, I think we have half a cow worth of ground beef in the fridge if I need to cook it, Conan."

He rolled his eyes, shrugged, and took a bite. I watched him closely waiting for his reaction. I got surprise.

"That's actually damn good. Is this another Texas thing?"

Holly shook her head. "This is a Desiree's-Crazy-Mom-Thing."

I smiled into my plate and began putting apricot preserves on my toast. "Yeah, she likes to get creative with recipes… and every once in a while she comes up with something fantastic."

Holly snorted. "We won't tell you about the not-fantastic ones."

He smiled.

After breakfast Holly and I picked up the mess in the kitchen and loaded up the dishwasher while Zak took a shower… in _my_ bathroom.

Holly winked at me as she poured detergent into the dishwasher and turned its dials. "That hunk is _naked_ in your shower."

"You're a freak, Holly." I picked up his clothes from the night before and dumped them in the dryer, adding a dryer sheet

She shrugged. "True story."

I rolled my eyes and went to my closet to prepare for my ritualistic Saturday morning. I changed into dark gray cargo shorts and an old torn up ACU band t-shirt. I laced up my worn-out old tennis shoes and pulled my hair back into a bun, covering it with a backwards Dallas Stars ballcap. When I came out of the bedroom Holly groaned. "Again?"

"What?"

"Didn't you just change your oil when we first moved in?"

I grinned. "So what?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes, heading into her bedroom. "Freak. I'm doing laundry if you need anything washed."

I headed through the kitchen and laundry room, down the stairs, and into the garage. Hitting the garage door opener and light switch, I went around our cars to the spare storage area and gathered the essentials; a few quarts of 10W30 oil, a gallon of antifreeze, a funnel, an oilpan, and a handful of shop towels. I dumped them by my car and went to my Snap-On tool cabinet.

The one good thing that came out of my years of hustling was my tool collection. Making ten grand a week allowed for me to build up quite a nice garage. Selecting a handful of tools, I returned to my car and set up the floor jacks. After she was raised up enough for me to get under her, I laid down on the roller and slid under her nose.

_Time to feed you, baby._

I worked the oil drain plug free and let the oil drain into the pan. I rolled back out from under the car and began to do my OCD work in the engine bay. I checked the vacuum hoses, the oil and fluid pressures relating to the turbo-chargers, the radiator, the transmission…

I'm a bit of a freak, I know.

Satisfied with my inspection, I went to a metal rack of shelving next to the cabinet and selected various cleaning supplies. I opened both doors to the Rex and spray-and-wiped down the entire interior. Closing the doors, I got back under the car and worked the oil filter loose, replacing it immediately with a new one. I then replaced the oil drain plug and lowered the car back down.

I was pouring fresh oil into the engine when I heard the door to the condo open. I looked over to see Zak standing in his clothing from the night before. "Heya, grease monkey," he said, grinning at me.

I looked down and cursed under my breath. There was a dark band of dirt and grease across my bust line from where my chest hadn't cleared the undercarriage of my car. I also had streaks and smears of grease across my arms and a spot on my nose.

"Hi." I consciously wiped my face with a shop towel. Zak burst out laughing. I groaned.

I had picked up the wrong towel. Instead of removing grease from my nose, I had managed to smear more grease across my face. Zak walked over to me and picked up a clean towel. He pushed a stray curl from my forehead and began to wipe my face with the towel. "I gotta say… seeing you all covered in grease is kind of a turn-on."

* * * * * * _[later that day]_

[_So… How was YOUR night?_] Veronique texted me.

Holly must've called her.

[_It was alright. I'm glad he took me home._]

[_I'm SURE ;)_]

Here we go again… [_NOTHING HAPPENED!_]

My phone rang. _Damnit!_

"Nothing happened?"

"No! Of course not… Why?"

"Zak came over today just before lunch to do some research with Nick. They're digging around for more locations for their show. Desiree, that man has not stopped talking about you since he got here."

I rolled my eyes. "Uh huh."

"What the hell is _your_ hang-up?"

"He's hot. He's famous. He's flirtatious. And there is no way I'm up to the caliber to be worth his time."

_Great, Des._ Now I just gave myself ammunition to be bitter for the past 24 hours.

"Whatever, girl. He keeps talking about how pretty your hair is, how gentle you are, how smart you are, how good your cooking is, how cool it is that you know about cars..."

"Is there a point to this?"

She let out an exasperated sigh. "He told Nick about the shadow figure in your apartment, and how you reacted to it."

"And?" I felt my cheeks get warm.

"He said you responded similarly to one of their friends who is a Bishop, only less aggressive and less rehearsed… He also brought up what you thought about exorcism rites."

I snorted, "Well yeah. I'm not a Catholic."

She was quiet for a moment. "So… you don't think that all that stuff – the holy water, the exorcism rituals – will keep you safe from the demonic?"

"Absolutely not."

I may have just doused her ability to feel safe about what her husband does for a living, but why lie? She'd figure it out sooner or later.

"That's really interesting." I heard a wail in the background. "The peanut is awake. I gotta let you go. Catch you later!"

"Bye."

I hung up and looked down at Sadie. She was curled up at my feet, snoring.

Holly came out of her bedroom in her red lace underwear, working a towel through her wet hair.

I arched an eyebrow at her. "Didn't learn your lesson last night, huh?"

She walked to the laundry room and dropped her towel in the washing machine, then returned to the living room to give me a disdainful look. "Excuse me?"

I laughed. "I'm not as hardcore as you. One hangover per weekend is more than enough for me."

"Believe it or not, Ray-Ray, I have a social life!" she teased. She flipped her hair back dramatically and flounced back into her bedroom. "You're not hard cooooooooore…" she sang in a goofy voice as she closed her bedroom door.

I got out my drawing pad. I'd been working on a design for a tattoo I wanted to get, and it still had a couple of kinks to be worked out. It had a bass clef and a treble clef, attached together and melded with a turntable, a bass guitar, a flute head joint, piano keys, a few bars of sheet music, and a silhouette of a raver with purple and green light tracers coming from their hands.

I had been scratching on the shading for about a half hour when Holly finally came out of her bedroom in a short red dress. She came over to the couch and plopped down next to me, buckling up her heels. She snatched the sketch book out of my hands.

"Hey!"

She studied the design closely. "This would look rad, but you have so much detail that it'd have to be pretty large. Where would you put it?" She gave me a look. "You're not gonna tramp-stamp it, are you?"

I laughed. "No, I was thinking maybe between my shoulders, or around my side like yours."

She grinned and handed it back to me. "That's my girl."

I closed the sketchbook and set it back under the couch. "So where are you off to tonight?"

She stood up. "Actually, just going with some girls from work to dinner and then a bar. No Aaron tonight."

"Yeah, right."

She winked. "Well, maybe later… the night is young!"

She picked up her purse and keys. "Don't party too hard without me," she called, disappearing down the stairs to the garage.

I looked out the window. It was just barely sunset, and the sky was beginning to blossom with color.

"Let's go for a run, Sadie," I said, going to my bedroom to put on my running shoes.

We set off for a nearby park and began the 3 mile trail. About a mile into it, we came upon another dog with its human in tow.

The puppy was thicker than Sasha, even though he was probably a foot shorter. He ran towards us, yanking his leash out of his owner's hand. As soon as he reached Sadie, he immediately clapped the ground with his front legs, wagging his sandy-blonde butt and tail high in the air.

The universal dog-speak: _Let's PLAY!_

The man walking with the puppy jogged up to me, laughing. "Sorry about that!"

I smiled and turned my attention to the dogs, now rolling all over each other. Then I looked up at him.

_Shit._

He was very tall, with spiky light brown hair and skin just a shade or two darker than mine. His dark eyes and perfect smile were gorgeous. I found myself frozen, unable to come up with anything to say. I'm awkward enough socially without having to work through the mental "_hubba-hubba_."

He reclaimed the end of the dog's leash and held out his hand to me. "I'm Brandon."

I delivered the least embarrassed smile I could muster and shook his hand. "I'm Desiree, and this freak of nature…" I motioned to my dog—who was now on her back and pawing at the puppy as it pounced on her repeatedly—"…Is Sadie."

He crouched down on one knee and held out a hand towards the dogs. Both rushed him and he patted her head. "Hi there, Sadie," he said to her. He stood back up and pointed at the puppy. "This is Rocky."

Rocky proceeded to jump up at me, pawing at my stomach. "Hey, sweetie," I cooed to him.

"Do you live around here?" Brandon asked, manhandling Rocky's collar and forcing him to stop jumping.

I nodded. "Actually, yeah, my roommate and I just moved here about a month ago."

"Oh yeah? Where from?"

I shrugged. "She just moved from a couple miles north of here, but I moved here from Dallas."

His eyes widened as his smile broke out again. "That's a bit of a change, isn't it?"

I snorted. "_Yes_! It's taking some getting used to."

We began to walk the path together, our dogs leading the way.

"What made you decide to move here?"

I looked down at the ground. "I was laid off by my old company after working there for six years. I didn't have anywhere to stay where I could keep my dog, and Holly's lease was ending about that same time, so it all worked out."

"What did you do there?"

"Designed printed circuit boards."

He stopped walking. "That's cool! So you're a computer geek, too!"

I looked at him. I'm not really that nerdy when it comes to computers. You don't have to be computer enthusiast to draw up circuit paths and arrays. I know next to nothing when it comes to RAM, sound/video card potential, and programming speak. "Not exactly - What do _you_ do?"

"I'm a computer programmer."

I laughed. I wouldn't have pegged him as a IT geek at all. With that body, I was thinking maybe a personal trainer. "I'm more on the manufacturing side rather than the functioning side of the industry."

"Word." We continued walking. "So what do you do now?"

I work in a different department of a similar company here in town. I'm in charge of materials handling on board production. We mainly do prototype work."

"Cool. What does your roommate do?"

I rolled my eyes. I wasn't sure if _I _even knew. "High-end telecommunications, from what I understand."

He smirked. "Lucky her."

"Yep."

An hour later we had finished the loop. "Later," I said to Brandon, and Sadie and I began to walk back to our building. After a few paces I realized Brandon and Rocky were still in tow. I turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you doing?"

He grinned. "I'm stalking you."

"Grrrreeeaat…"

"I'm kidding. I'm going home." He pointed to the building across the street from mine.

I blinked. "We're neighbors."

"Cool! We should let our dogs drag us around together more often," he winked at me and offered his hand again. "I'll catch you later, okay?"

I shook it and nodded. "Nice to meet you."


	18. Blindsides and Reptiles

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XVII – Blindsides and Reptiles**

"NO!"

I was beyond royally pissed. Beyond mad. I was downright _hacked_-dafuq-_off_.

"But Des…"

"No! No, no, _no_. I will _not_ allow it!"

Zak put the bag he was carrying down on the couch and tried to put his hands on my shoulders, but I violently shook him off.

"Please. I want to help you."

"No you don't! You want another nail-biting fucking episode!"

Nick and Aaron started to mumble explanations and intercessions, but I shot them a look that would freeze water. They looked at the floor.

It had been a couple of weeks since Zak had experienced the Shadow in my bedroom that one night. I had seen him a couple of times since then—if the guys happened to swing by, or whenever Holly would drag me out of the house to meet the crew for dinner or whatever—but things had been pretty quiet between us.

I had myself convinced that it was because I let him stay over.

Or it was because I let him kiss me. Or maybe because I _didn't_ sleep with him. Or possibly because I quoted Scripture like a lame-ass. Was it my cooking?

It could have also been because I have a demon following me around… and that's just too much of a hassle. Doesn't exactly make the top-ten list on awesome girlfriend traits.

In case you're not getting the drift, I figured that I had done something wrong… that the space between us was _my_ fault, and I'd scared him off. I—the Queen of Anxiety—had been running the scene around and around in my head almost constantly since then, but was too much of a coward to ask him if there _was_ a legitimate reason or not for the sparse contact.

Typical female behavior… right?

_No_? …Shit.

Earlier that day I had gotten a call from Zak. "Hey, Nick and Aaron and I are heading to the office, but we were in the area and wondered if we could swing by."

I frowned. _What for?_ "Need your chips and salsa fix?"

Holly and I had gone to great lengths to always have our fridge stocked with authentic Texan salsa and plenty of Shiner, and the guys had made it a habit to come by every once in a while to mooch from our stores.

He laughed, "That would be awesome."

"Okay, sure. Come on over." I hung up and quickly threw the clean clothes strewn about the couch into a laundry bin and carried it into my room. I also removed the hangers from our bedroom doorways that we had been using to air-dry our intimates and delicates. A row of lacey thongs is not exactly the most appropriate sight to have out in the open when three men are showing up. I pulled the salsa out of the fridge and set it on the dining room table along with a fresh bag of chips and a roll of paper towels. Okay. I'm ready.

Now, I was standing in the middle of my living room, arms crossed, feeling steam pour out of my ears. The guys had not shown up for a salsa fix, but instead were offering to do an investigation on the condo. In other words, me and "my" demon.

I'm the sideshow freak to pin a feature on.

I was balking – vehemently – but Zak was just as persistent.

"What, are you guys _that_ desperate for a new location?"

Zak finally stopped trying to touch me. I guess he figured out that it _wasn't_ helping to calm me down. "I don't want you getting scratched and terrorized in your own home anymore."

"Then get all of this shit OUT of here!" I waved an arm at the equipment that the guys had prematurely piled up in our foyer. "You want to _'help'_ …but I'm sure this would do wonders for your ratings. I will _not_ be a pawn for you. I will _not_ be the circus bimbo that you parade on national television. This is not some damned ghost adventure! This is _my_ burden, _my_ thorn, and _my_ _LIFE_!"

I brushed past them and slammed the front door open. "Get out."

All three men stared at me, dumbfounded. I narrowed my eyes. "Are you dumb-fucks deaf? Get _OUT_!"

Zak gave a shrugging nod to Nick and Aaron, and they picked up their gear and walked out the door. Nick turned to me just before he stepped over the threshold. "Desiree, I swear—"

"I don't even wanna _hear_ it, Nick. Just go! Please."

He nodded and left. Part of me felt horrible for yelling at these guys like that. I'm never one to give in to hysteria. I'm always careful with how I communicate when I'm angry, and I hate raising my voice. But this just came from too far out in left field for me to respond gently. I was trying to fight back the horrified tears welling up in my throat.

Then I noticed that Zak had stayed put. His eyes were stone-blue today and were intensely locked on mine.

I pointed at the door. "Out."

"No."

The tears that had been choking me began to spill over. I noticed that he had hurt in his eyes too, but I couldn't conjure up any sentiments for him.

_Fuck him for dragging me into this! I should have known_, I kept thinking. I felt used and isolated.

"Sit down, Desiree."

"Excuse me?"

He took a firm hold of my hand and led me to the couch. "I will leave, if you want me to. But not until I make sure we are on the same page."

"Hmph," I collapsed on the couch, pouting.

He knelt down on the ground, taking both of my hands in his. "Desiree, when I first met you, something captured my attention. And the more I've learned about you, the more you've haunted me. This has _nothing_ to do with the show."

"Yeah right!" I don't do well with drawn-out explanations when I'm upset. The ADD in my brain began to rage, making it hard to sit still and focus.

"Desiree, we just wanted to find out what it is that is following you around. We aren't even going to take the records to the office unless you tell us to."

I looked at his eyes. They were reflecting my feelings of betrayal and hurt. _Really?_

"I want to trust you."

"Why can't you?"

"You can't just change what you do after six years for some girl you've only known for a few months. You'll get evidence that is too good to keep quiet about, and you guys will find a way to publicize it whether I give consent or not."

He shook his head. He put a hand on the back of my head and pulled my forehead to his, sighing. "Do you honestly think that you are just another girl to me? That I'm just using you?"

_DON'T go _there, I thought. I swatted his hands away. "Why shouldn't I think that, Zachary?"

He frowned and looked down. _Exactly._ I sat and waited for him to give an explanation.

He removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair, sighing. After a few minutes he looked up at me. "All the girls I've met are all about me because of what I do or what I make. They're all about the show and just want to find a way to convince me that they're worth my time. To be honest it's kind of disgusting."

He took a deep breath before continuing. "You are a woman that not only handles the paranormal in unique, logical way, but you don't get starstruck with me. Most girls that want in on my life are the kinds that will mimic me when it comes to paranormal, just trying to prove themselves. Usually those relationships end with them being exposed to the darkness that I deal with and being unable to handle it. Or they're the type to just use me while they go and do their own thing… and _those_ relationships usually end with my wallet being a lot lighter, or me having to rearrange some dude's nose." He rubbed his face.

"I understand." _All too well…_ I've been there. I've had men leave me because of the Shadow. I've been abused and cheated on more times than I care to admit.

Those wounds never _really_ heal. I fidgeted beneath his gaze and gave him a shrug.

His voice raised slightly. "But… I don't know what to tell you. Yes I am flirtatious. Yes I work out a lot to maintain the body the public wants. But I don't feel like I have to be in a spotlight when I'm with you. I can just be me…" He grasped for my hands again, and this time I relented.

"Desiree, you still don't trust me. So I don't know what you want me to do to fix this!" He let his frustration come out in his tone, which almost pissed me off, but I took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself enough to wade through this mess rationally.

_Think through it, Des. Really—from that point of view—you can see why he's upset._

"Okay. I don't know what to tell you either, building trust with me is just going to take time." I reached out touched his cheek with my hand. He covered my hand with his and shifted his weight on his ankles.

"Honestly, that's a moot point at this moment, Zak. My first and initial problem in this conversation though is you guys coming into my home and trying to draw out the demon that has followed me around all my life."

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a deep hug, despite my lack of response to his touch. He whispered into my hair, "Then forget it. Don't worry about it, we'll figure something out. The last thing I want is to hand you more reasons to doubt me."

I rolled my eyes but didn't pull back. "So, to conclude the debate, the answer is a resounding 'no,'" I mumbled into his chest.

"Agreed." He stood up to leave.

"Zak?"

He turned to face me.

"I – I'm sorry for freaking out like that."

He sent me a reassuring smile. "Don't apologize. I understand. So does Nick and Aaron." He bent over and kissed my cheek, wiping my tears with his thumb. "I'll see you later, okay sweetie?"

"Yeah," I felt light headed. I needed to lay down and cry this tension out for an hour or two. As soon as I closed the front door behind him, I sank to my knees and sobbed uncontrollably.

* * * * * * _[Mid-October]_

It was a Thursday afternoon and I was "blowing and going" at work. I had just finished a massive complex audit on a prototype board for a military contractor, four days before it was due to start assembly. I sent the project leader and my customer contact an email with the update and triumphantly locked my computer screen.

_Winning!_ Time for a break.

I had just sat down in the breakroom with a Monster and my Kindle when I felt my phone vibrate on my hip.

"Say gurrrrrrrl!" Holly gushed.

"Whuddup, skank?" I laughed.

"Zak just texted me."

"And?"

"Well… He was wondering if you were still mad at him."

I sighed. "No, I'm not. I was pissed that the guys wanted to pry into my shit, but it was more out of fear than anything. It wasn't really about him… you know… personally."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I guess."

I could feel her wink on the other end of the line. "Okie-dokie. I'll see you later tonight, hot stuff!"

_::Click::_

From the tone of her voice she was obviously hiding something. _What is she up to?_

Not even twenty minutes later, I got a text from Zak. [_Hey doll, can u talk?_]

_Doll?_ Maybe I was still a little sore at him, because for no particular reason, Zak calling me "Doll" rubbed me the wrong way.

[_Give me a few minutes._]

I hiked back to my workstation. I stared blankly at my desk for a moment, trying to decide whether to flake out on Zak or not. _What could he possibly want to talk to you about? Is it even worth _your_ time?_

I eventually gave up on the dreams of being a cold-hearted bitch and went over to Chris, one of my coworkers.

"Chris, can I bum a square from you?" Chris is a tall man with an extremely quiet, shy demeanor. He's pretty cool, whenever you can coax him into a dialog. He grinned sheepishly at me.

"Sure, I didn't know you smoke."

I used to be a pack-a-day smoker, but I quit when I left West Texas. Now I pretty much only smoke when I'm drunk enough, but I figured I'd need the nicotine to get me through a phone call with Zak after our last interaction.

I was in luck. Chris smokes menthols. He handed me a Camel and winked. "Want me to start a tab?"

I laughed. "Sure." I thanked him and headed outside, dialing Zak's number.

_::Ring…::_

"Hey, Desiree!"

"What's up, Zak?" I kept my tone as stoic as possible.

"What are you doing Friday night?"

_What the hell?_ I paused to light up and took a long drag on my cigarette. "Holly and I were gonna do our monthly ritualistic Firefly marathon. Why?"

"I was going to ask… May I take you out?"

I blinked. "Like a date?"

"Well yeah."

"Sure… I suppose." _This is not what I was expecting._

"I know it's kinda last-minute. If you want, you can bring along your marathon goodness."

I grinned. That was cute. "Well, if you don't mind me drooling over Nathan Fillion…"

He snorted. "I'm pretty sure I can compete with him."

"Whatever you say, Hulk," I smarted off. "How dressed up do I need to be?"

"Well, really it's up to you… I had something in mind but you would have to be able to take off work early"

I laughed. "I can do that! I just kicked a project's ass almost a week early, so my queue will be light tomorrow."

"That's awesome," I felt him smile. "So… hiking boots."

"Just boots? You aren't that lucky, sir."

He barked a laugh, "The rest is up to you, doll."

_Fucking doll..._

I finished my cigarette and went back inside. I tried to work on a few more projects, but my mind wouldn't stay focused. I kept being interrupted by the mental image of a handsome man with captivating blue eyes and a goofy smile.

Getting frustrated, I put my earbuds in and dialed my iPod to a mixed album by Boxon Records. Dirty, nasty, smashy, chunky electro-house, please. It is one thing that will always lift my mood and help me block out my anxious scattered thoughts.

Only this time… it wasn't working. If anything, it was making my mind more chaotic. After a couple of songs I yanked the earbuds out of my ears and slammed them on my desk.

"DAMN IT!" I griped, probably louder than I should have.

Chris poked his head around his computer monitor. "Problems?"

I was fuming, but shook my head. "Nah, everything's peachy."

He smirked. "I can see that."

* * * * * * _[7PM]_

I burst in the door, exhausted. As I walked through the laundry room, Sadie skidded to a stop in front of me in the kitchen. She had her favorite toy in her jaws.

I groaned, "Baby girl, not right now." I walked past her and threw my keys and my purse on the bar. Sadie sulked into my bedroom to play with her toy all by her lonesome.

"Long day?" Holly's voice came from the office. I poked my head around the corner.

"That would be an understatement." I sat down on the couch behind her and began to untangle the ESD straps from my shoes. "How was yours?"

"Boring, except for this research paper that I didn't realize was due tonight until…" she glanced up at the wall clock. "…An hour ago."

I laughed. "Sucks to be you."

"_You_ try making up twenty different references in an hour!"

"No, thanks." I patted her on her head and walked out into the living room.

"Um… Holly? What's this?"

She sighed and rolled her chair to the doorway. "What?"

I pointed at the coffee table. There was a twenty gallon terrarium sitting on it.

"That's Fluffy."

I knelt down and looked inside the terrarium. A beautiful two year old green iguana stared back at me and puffed himself up in defense, his spikes standing on end. I had grown up with bearded dragons as pets - which aren't all that different - so this little guy's act wasn't doing a lot to scare me.

"_Fluffy_?"

"Perfect name, right?"

"Yeah, if you're a sadistic bitch," I said, removing the heat lamp and the lid from the terrarium. I reached down to pick up Fluffy… but he lunged at me.

"OUCH!"

Holly came into the living room. "By the way… he bites."

I turned to face her, Fluffy hanging from my index finger. "No shit, Sherlock."

Holly burst out laughing and returned to the office. "Sorry! A girl at my work needed to get rid of him."

"I can see why," I grumbled. I wrapped my free hand around his body and worked him off of my finger, then let him go on my forearm. "We're gonna have to train you to behave, you little shit."

He cocked his head at me as if to say "Yeah, right," and scurried up my arm. He perched on my shoulder and delivered a small lick to my ear.

"So thanks for the warning, by the way," I said, walking back into the office.

"Dude, I'm sorry I didn't warn you, I didn't know you were gonna stick your hand in the cage like a noob."

"I meant about Zak."

"Oh!" She swiveled around in her chair and batted her eyes at me. "You like that? I was just playing damage control for him."

"You're a See-You-Next-Tuesday, you know that?" I took Fluffy off of my shoulder and held him up to my face. "Fluffy, did _you_ know that?"

He responded by latching onto my nose. "_Ow,_ dammit!"

Holly giggled and took him from me, setting him on her shoulder. "You don't talk bad about his momma," she joked.

"I think he's just pissed off about his name."

Holly pointed over to the front door. "By the way, you're welcome to borrow my hiking boots."


	19. Apologies and Attacks

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XVIII – Apologies and Attacks**

Friday afternoon around 2 o'clock I ran to the bathroom to change. I pulled my backpack out of my locker and locked myself in the handicapped stall. I shed my labcoat, revealing black slacks and a pink shirt that had gold designs and black trim on it. I ripped off my ESD heel-straps and my flats, then yanked my clothes off and stuffed all of it into my bag.

I pulled on a white New Belgium Brewing babydoll t-shirt and stepped into a pair of men's brown cargo pants, then pulled on the hiking boots. Stepping out of the stall, I pulled a Mazda Rotary racing jacket out of the locker and shrugged it on. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, topped it off with my Snap-On ballcap, and gave myself a once-over in the mirror.

Not the _sexiest_ thing I could put together, but still.

I returned to my workstation and did some last minute emails. I was floating around on Amazon when my phone vibrated on my desk.

[_U ready?_]

I took a deep breath. _Shit._ I logged off of my computer and turned off the light at my station.

[_Yep!_] I swung my backpack onto my shoulders and grabbed my purse. "Later," I called to the two coworkers who were actually at their desks, and strode out the door.

I did a double-take when I reached the parking lot. Zak was waiting for me across the parking lot in a ridiculous yellow Jeep Wrangler. I smirked at him as I went to my car. He pulled up next to me as I started the engine, a big dopey grin on his face. "Whatcha think?"

I stepped out of the car. "Please tell me that isn't _yours_."

He feigned embarrassment, then giggled. "I rented it. Figured it was appropriate for where we're going."

"We're off-roading? Zak, we aren't in Arkansas." _…said the Texas girl._

He just smiled. "So are you gonna get in or what?"

I laughed. "I'm not leaving my car here! Pick me up at the condo."

He nodded with raised eyebrows. "Okay."

I dumped the clothes out of my backpack and emptied the contents of my purse into it. An old Dieselboy mix was pounding from my sound system. I found myself letting go a bit—bobbing my head to the music as I swayed side to side slightly—as I waited for the engine to warm up.

I stopped suddenly, feeling eyes on me. I turned around. He was leaning a forearm on his steering wheel, watching me with a seductive smirk. I blushed about eight shades of red and jumped in my car. "Follow me" I hollered over the bass, and peeled out of the lot.

When I got to the apartment, I pulled into my garage and cut the engine, looking around. No Zak. I rolled my eyes and closed the garage door. I went inside and leashed up Sadie in all her wildness, and we headed out for a quick walk.

Still no Zak.

I almost texted him, but thought better of it. _Dumb idea._ Sadie and I set off to her favorite spot in the park around the other side of the building.

When we got back Zak was just pulling into my driveway. I gave him a finger-wave as Sadie dragged me into the garage. He grinned sheepishly and threw the Jeep into neutral. Sadie and I ran inside and I put her right back in her kennel, with food and water. She was pissed, but she obeyed. I ran to the bathroom to do a quick check up on my make up—yeah, that'll do—and ran back out of the condo, closing the garage door behind me.

I hopped in the passenger side of the Jeep and looked over at Zak, who was smiling coyly at me. I gave him a mocking look. "You get lost?"

"No," he reached behind the seat and lifted a small, simple bouquet of wildflowers over my head and held it out for me. "I forgot to get these before I went to your work."

"Forgot?" I stared blankly at the flowers, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, I just got a little ahead of myself."

I shook my head, "No, I mean, _why_ did you bring me flowers?"

His hand dropped a little as he looked at me seriously. "Because I wanted to."

_Wow._ I smiled despite my own embarrassment. "Oh! Okay, sorry."

"Do you not like flowers?"

"I do! I'm just not used to getting them." I took them from him and buried my nose in the petals. _Yum._ "Where are we going?"

He pulled out a blindfold from the glove compartment.

"No."

"Aw, come on."

"_Seriously_?"

"Please?"

I shrugged and took it, setting the flowers on my lap. He gave me a wink and helped me tie the fabric over my eyes. I heard him throw the Jeep in reverse. Okay, fine. I can wait.

"So I wanted to apologize for everything that happened the last time I saw you."

I snorted. _Good to hear._

"We were very insensitive to how you felt about what was going on, and we should have asked _before_ assuming you would say yes."

"Yeah, you should have."

I felt his hand rest on my knee. "I just don't want that to be the cause for a falling out, you know? Let me make it up to you."

I sighed. "Alright."

* * * * * * _[6PM]_

"Okay, Conan the barbarian, where are we now?"

"Mount Charleston," he murmured.

"Mount _what_?"

We had driven for almost an hour, and now I had been hiking for about an hour and a half… blindfolded. He was a pro at guiding me over the uneven terrain, but it was starting to get frustrating. I had one hand firmly gripping onto his jacket, using the other for balance. We had been definitely hiking upwards, but now we were at a point that was rocky, but level.

He stopped and removed my hand from his jacket. I felt him walk around behind me, keeping my hand in his. His other hand brushed across my shoulders and he slowly pulled the bandana loose. I blinked as it fell from my face… then gasped.

We were basically on the edge of a cliff—I could see for miles! We were at a small clearing, free of twisted foliage and greenery. The sun was starting to set, setting fire to the sky and painting the rocks dazzling colors.

It was breathtaking.

"Wow…"

He laughed softly as he dropped his backpack from his massive shoulders and pulled out a blanket, spreading it out on the ground. He beckoned me to sit as he continued to dig in his bag. Shocked, I slowly came and sat down, removing my backpack as well.

He pulled out several Tupperware containers, paper plates, and plasticware. I felt my stomach start to growl. One by one he opened each container. Grilled chicken breasts, roasted potatoes, green beans and a salad. He doled out the food onto the paper plates and set one in front of me. He then pulled out another Tupperware that was holding wine glasses wrapped in a towel. He also produced a bottle of high-end merlot. He poured me a glass and then leaned back to take stock in his efforts.

I was speechless. It was a 100% gourmet dinner date… picnic-style.

He grinned at me and raised his glass towards me. I tapped it lightly with mine and took a slow sip, closing my eyes. I let the smells, the sounds, the power of where we were wash over me and I felt my internal tension ebbing. I opened my eyes to see him still staring at me. I smiled and tipped my glass towards him. "You're good."

He blushed. "Well I figured that since I owed you an apology…"

I laughed. "This is one hell of an apology!"

"Well really I just wanted it to be a date, but take it as you like." He smiled and picked up his plasticware.

I set my glass down and we dug into the food. We ate in silence, just watching the landscape as the sun transformed it over the next hour.

When we finished eating, he poured both of us another glass of wine and put away the leftover food. We sat side by side watching the sun disappear, making small talk about nothingness. He asked me about my music backgrounds, my parents, my job. He sounded so sincere and caring.

I still couldn't read him very well, but in that moment I decided that maybe—just maybe—I could grow to trust him.

We finally got back to the car around ten pm. I was relaxed from the wine and the atmosphere, so mentally I didn't even come back to the real world until he turned off the Jeep.

I froze. We were at his house.

_Crap…_

He came around to my side of the Jeep and opened my door for me. He gathered up the backpacks and my flowers and offered his hand to me. I took it, and the expression on his face looked concerned. Not surprising… I was shaking.

I slowly slid out of the Jeep and let go of his hand, following him hollowly up the walk. _I can't go in his house!_ I felt my breath catch as my brain finally changed gears, allowing me to speak. "Zak…"

He dropped everything and quickly turned around to grab my hand. "Trust me, doll. You don't need to worry about a thing." He gave me a small peck on my cheek, then gathered up our things again and continued to his front door.

"Um… Alright, then," I stammered as he opened the door. He let me in, locked the door, and headed through his giant house towards his kitchen. I just stayed in the foyer and ogled my surroundings.

I heard the jingling of a dog collar and saw a pretty white and black long-haired mutt pad around the corner. She immediately bounded towards me, then wagging her tail low, laid her ears back and sniffed at my pants.

"Well, hello, sweetie," I said to her softly, running my hand down her back.

"Des?" He poked his head around the corner. He laughed and beckoned to me. "I see you've met Gracie."

"Yeah."

His hand beckoned to me again. "Come on in and stay a while," he said, disappearing around the corner again. I wandered slowly in his direction, finding him in his kitchen. He was uncorking bottle of chilled wine, and he had set the flowers in a tall beer glass, which made me laugh. He blushed.

"I really had a good time with you tonight," he said softly. He directed me to the living room and handed me a glass of wine, then he turned back towards the kitchen. "I'll be right back."

I fiddled with the glass as I sat quietly on the couch. I heard him unpacking his backpack and opening up his refrigerator. I was still trying to keep my heart from exploding out of my chest when I finally found my voice. "Yeah, I had a good time, too, Zak."

He must have heard the uneasiness in my tone, because he stopped what he was doing and returned to my side, putting a hand on my shoulder. "What's wrong, sweetie?" He led us to the couch and sat us down, staring at me intently.

"Nothing," I lied.

"Bull shit." He put a hand to my cheek. "What can I do to help?"

"I dunno. I'm just anxious." It was that simple. I was afraid. I wasn't really sure why, but regardless, I was. This was the closest I had gotten emotionally to a man in a long time, and it was not a familiar feeling. The last time I my walls down to a man, the guy stole money from me for drugs, cheated on me with minors, slapped me around…

_We've been over this._

I suppose I was just a little shell shocked and frightened that in some way history would repeat itself. The last thing I needed was another gaping wound in my heart and in my ego. His eyes were still digging into mine. He sighed, "Desiree, I am not your past."

I blinked. _How does he do that?_

"Okay, Zak. I'm sorry." I reached down and fondled Gracie's ear.

He set his glass on the coffee table and pulled me into a hug. "Don't you dare apologize. I just need you to know that I'm for real with you. I don't get close to women with whom I have doubts about their strength…" He pulled back and his eyes held me captive. "Or where I have doubts in my ability to be what she needs me to be."

I wanted to be a smartass at this_. You're not a god, you won't complete me…_ but I decided that my sarcasm queue was already full. I fidgeted with the zippers on my cargo pants.

Zak looked me over. "Let's get you more comfortable." He stood up and disappeared into a hallway.

"_More comfortable" …what does _that_ mean?_

Zak returned a moment later in a plain black t-shirt and red workout pants, carrying a small wad of clothing. "These should fit, maybe."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, I assumed you would stay the night? I've got a spare bedroom. You could just sleep in your dirty hiking clothes, but it's up to you!" He winked at me. "Of course, if you want I won't mind at all if you want me to drive you home."

"I'll stay." I mentally smacked myself in the forehead. _I'd rather stay the night with a man I'm not dating than be an inconvenience for him to drive me home. So dumb…_

He grinned and threw the clothes at my head. I caught them and stood up. "You get changed, I'll be right back," he said, and left the room.

I quickly traded my t-shirt for his and dropped my pants, stepping into an oversized pair of basketball shorts. I cinched them up with their drawstrings, but they were still a chore to keep from falling past my hips.

I was folding my shed clothing when Zak returned with a bowl of popcorn. He sat it down on the coffee table and plopped down next to me on the couch. "But like I was saying, Des… whatever I need to do for you to be more comfortable… for you to trust me… just let me know. I know what I want; I just need to know what you want."

When I looked at him in this moment, I couldn't come up with even a shred of contempt. I felt my anxiety falter. "You really mean that, don't you?"

"Yes Desiree. You never did let me tell you that one morning… you are an amazing woman."

I was overwhelmed by him. Maybe it was because of the wine, but then again maybe it wasn't.

Despite myself, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. All of the loneliness, the stress, the doubt… in that moment it all melted away.

I could tell I caught him off-guard. His response—though delayed from shock—was intense. I felt him push forward, forcing me to rock back on the couch. I opened my mouth to him and my tongue teased for him to do the same. He put a hand on the back of my neck and pulled me closer to him, deepening the kiss. After a moment, he pulled back gasping.

His breath was saturated with desire and his eyes had darkened to a smoldering gaze that felt like it would burn my clothes off. I laughed softly at this reaction. "I like you too, Zak."

He leaned in and we locked lips again. His arms wrapped around me, the heat of the contact sending shivers down my spine. He removed his mouth from mine and began to work down my neck, causing electricity to shoot through me. Before I could mentally downshift to a full on makeout session, he pulled back his face yet again. He didn't let me go though, keeping his hands firmly across my back.

He studied my eyes for a moment, then broke his grasp and delivered his cheesy million-dollar smile. "So! Let's see what this _Firefly_ stuff is all about!"

I let out a small groan and leaned back on the couch as he popped the first disc in. He sat next to me and offered his arm around my shoulders. I smiled and responded with a snuggle into his chest.

He buried his face in my curls and breathed in deeply. "Mmmm…"

_No sir, you're the one who left it hanging!_ "Hold on. You _are_ gonna pay attention, right?"

He winked playfully, "Are we taking bets?" His tongue drew a line down my neck.

I rolled my eyes. "If that's the only way to be assured that you'll follow through."

He nipped at my ear. "Way to ruin a romantic moment, doll."

"Romantic isn't _exactly_ the word I would use." I gave him a cheeky smile and winked.

He smirked, gave me a hard kiss on my cheek, and then hit play.

* * * * * * _[4AM]_

I woke up with a start. I was dreaming I was falling, and my body jolted me awake at the point where I came into contact with the ground.

_Where am I?_

I took stock. I was wearing men's basketball shorts and a huge G.A.C. t-shirt. I was lying on a wonderfully comfortable couch and had an arm the size of a tree trunk draped over my waist. I closed my eyes and inhaled the pleasant scent of Zachary Bagans. His hair junk, his cologne, deodorant, and his general musk all combined to create something… soothing. Calming.

Maybe even safe.

_Stop it, Desiree._

I snuggled deeper into his grasp and smiled. _Fuck off anxiety, let me have this moment_.

Anxiety let me be, however nature came calling soon after. I wiggled out from under his arm and set off in search for the bathroom.

When I came out I looked at Zak on the couch. It was still dark out and I felt a familiar tension in my shoulders. I debated crawling back under his arm.

I sighed. _Meh, what the hell_.

I tiptoed around his home until I found a bedroom, but it wasn't a guest room. It was Zak's. However, I was so stiff from the hike and was so tired that I didn't even care if this came across wrong. I crawled onto his bed and wormed my way under the covers. I rolled over and breathed in deeply, losing myself in this man's scent and letting the tempurpedic mattress wrap itself around me.

I was just about to drift off to sleep when I felt weight applied to the bed beside me. I rolled over to greet Zak, but faltered and sucked in air. Instead of seeing Zak's enticing blue eyes, I saw another familiar set of red eyes. Those terrifying eyes…

…_I told you that you'd never be safe. You cannot hide from me…_

My heart felt like it stopped and I felt hot tears pour from my face.

"Ah… uh… Zak!" I finally found my voice, even if it sounded more like a scream than a call.

"ZAK!" …Maybe a shriek.

The eyes rushed me, enveloping me in darkness.


	20. CPR and Pancakes

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XIX – C.P.R. and Pancakes**

"Desiree?!"

I opened my eyes. Zak had both hands over the lower part of my sternum and his mouth was inches from mine. He had been performing CPR on me.

I coughed. "You're doing it wrong."

"Oh, thank God!" He sighed loudly. I felt a tear land on my forehead as he gathered me up in his arms. At this point I wasn't strong enough to keep up the "Tough-Broad Desiree" front. At all.

I broke down and sobbed into his chest. He pulled me even closer. It took a moment to realize that he was actually crying too. He squeezed me tight, almost painfully, and shakily whispered, "I thought you were gone."

I couldn't speak. I could hardly breathe. I kept sobbing until the bowling ball in my throat had subsided, and I finally found my voice. "What happened?"

He brushed my fuzzy curls from my face. "I heard you scream and when I got in the room I felt a block of ice that stopped me from coming to you. I couldn't move. I couldn't _fucking_ move! I saw you get yanked out of my bed and thrown down on the floor. When I finally got to you, I… I couldn't find a heartbeat."

I groaned. "You need to update your CPR certs, Conan."

He looked at me through furious, damp eyes. "What happened on your end?"

I closed my eyes and fought back the crying-hiccups. After a moment I managed to choke out, "It was the Shadow. It just refuses to leave me alone. It followed me here!" I fought to keep my mental hysteria from bubbling up to the surface.

Zak's eyes grew wide. "You saw it?"

I nodded. "It said 'I told you that you'd never be safe,' and I felt like my body was being ripped apart." I sighed, "Again."

His grip on me tightened. "Again? What the hell?!"

"That's how it felt when I was thrown against a wall 7 years ago."

Zak pressed kisses into my cheek, forehead, and hair. "I thought it was one of _my_ ghosts. We have got to do something about this."

_YOUR ghosts?_ I filed that away for later.

He continued to dote over me—despite my protesting—until the sun came up. I finally fell asleep in his arms around seven am.

No dreams. _Thank God._

I awoke to a soft bed and an abundance of pillows. I was still in Zak's bed but he was nowhere to be found. I quickly sat up.

_Bad idea._ My body reacted to my quick movement. "OUCH!" I grumped, laying back down.

"Sweetie?" I heard Zak's voice from another room. Before I could out of his bed, he was on me. Holding me.

_Protecting me…_

I shook off the thought. _Give it a rest, Desiree!_

"Zak, I'm fine," I worked myself up to a sitting position and moaned. "Kind of."

He pulled me even closer. "Is there anything I can do?" I shook my head. He pulled back, took my hand, and pressed a kiss into my palm. "Just let me know."

As he turned to go, "Zak, what did you mean by 'your' ghosts?"

He stopped and sighed, then turned. "I've acquired quite a collection of spirits since starting my investigations. Wanna see?" He gave me another sheepish grin.

_No way in hell,_ I thought… But instead I just shrugged and climbed slowly out of his bed.

I followed him through hallways and to a set of basement stairs. I hesitated, but gave myself another a mental "fuck it," and moved on.

Zak has a dungeon. True story.

"So do you store your ghosts down here?"

He chuckled, "Not really." He then began to tell me about the different things he felt he had brought home with him. How he had to bring in a priest for cleansing on more than one occasion. How there were several entities that were attached to him because of one personal connection or another.

"What did you do, bring them flowers?" I mocked.

He laughed, but shot me a quizzical glance. "Have you ever seen the show?"

"Nope."

"Why?"

"Are you kidding me? Zak, I'm already sensitive to that stuff! Ghost hunter shows and movies just remind me of what I've been trying to avoid for more than a decade. It scares me. And what's out there knows that it scares me, so it plays on that fear."

He looked at the floor. "I understand that completely."

"It's just a decision I've made for my own well-being… but what does it matter if I've seen your show?"

He took my hand and led me out of the basement and into an office. "It would give you a taste of what I deal with and why."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "So, you want me to watch your television show?"

He winked. "It'll keep you busy while I make breakfast."

"You can cook?"

"Sometimes."

I laughed. "That sounds promising!"

He clicked on his computer and opened Safari. He pulled up YouTube and sat me down in his chair. "Search Ghost Adventures, you pick whatever clips you want."

My eyes bugged at the massive amount of videos. "Good grief, son."

Zak chuckled, patted my shoulder, and left the room. Soon the smell of eggs and bacon began to fill the air.

I stared at the computer screen blankly. I wasn't really sure if I wanted to watch his show or not, for reasons I had already brought up. He obviously overlooked my excuses, but I suppose he had a legitimate reason for asking me to watch what makes me uncomfortable. _Fine,_ I sighed and began to navigate the website.

After skimming over page after page of videos, I finally selected a clip from when the guys went to Poveglia Island. _Well, hell, I love Italy. Maybe this one will be good._

The cameras were in night-vision mode. Aaron had a view on Nick and Zak as they walked about rooms and corridors. Nick asked the air to use their energy in Italian, getting a creepy scream in response. Zak hunched over suddenly, like he was about to pass out. They heard footsteps and caught some orbs. Suddenly there was a loud bang, followed by Aaron reacting the way Zak had when Nick told the air to use their energy.

Zak produced another gadget and caught another ridiculous EMF spike and another orb. Suddenly the device malfunctioned. Aaron suggested that they get out of the room. The camera jumped ahead and Zak said he heard a guys voice, but when Nick went to him and Aaron to aid in the investigation, Zak looked at him with eyes that looked bewildered and enraged.

He screamed curses and grabbed at Aaron. He was breathing heavily. Nick and Aaron backed off while he raged. Nick handed his camera off to Aaron and approached Zak again, cautiously. Zak was standing in a doorway, shaking and squeezing his camera. He snapped the camera in half before Nick got to him. As Nick laid a calming hand on his right shoulder, Zak slammed his left shoulder into the wall, sliding down to the floor, like he was trying to shut out a physical attack. He cried out again grabbed a handful of dead leaves and squeezing them to dust.

He screamed "STOP!" as Nick kept a hand on his shoulder, telling him to let go and chill out. Eventually Zak opened his hands and slowly stood up, his eyes looking terrified and enraged at the same time.

Nick caught him by the arm and dragged him out of the room they were in, while Zak gasped heavily for air like he was in the middle of a UFC fight.

_No way..._

I went to another clip, The Ancient Ram Inn, where they were conducting a ritual in an old building over an ancient burial ground. _Idiots,_ I thought. _You can't be serious!_

Oh, but they were. They performed the ritual as the witch, ironically smart enough to not be involved, gave them directions. Zak layed on the floor. I felt my body go cold. _No wonder..._ Of course, they had feelings of multiple things entering the room, crawling over Zak, attacking Aaron, displaying seething growls and demonic cries. Even the witch ran to her alter to be "protected."

_Yeah right, bitch. That shit doesn't work in real life._

I finally clicked on a longer clip that looked like a video montage of multiple investigations at some country music bar in Kentucky. Bobby Mackey's Music World. Zak was scratched, multiple people were viciously mocked and frightened, a priest was also scratched, and the evidence section of the video began.

One of the clips was in the basement, as the guys had come back a third time to that place. They were standing around with what looked like a clergyman, holding what looked like a little radio, spitting out static. They were asking the air questions, and responses were coming through the little radio, which they were calling a "Spirit Box." I felt another chill.

They showed an EVP that was captured on a recorder while they were playing with their spirit box, and what it said made my blood freeze. "It's going down with the Bishop."

My jaw dropped. You could clearly hear at least three different voices in this one statement.

_No, no, no..._ I blinked back the tears in my eyes. I knew far too well that type of voice, and it rocked me to my core to hear it in a recording. I could feel myself shaking.

_Damn, Des, what happened to that tough mechanic nerd girl that boasted a claim to not even have tear ducts? Clean the sand out of your vag, already, woman!_

Zak poked his head in the door, "Breakfast is served, doll."

I turned to face him and he paled. He came to me quickly and put an arm around my waist. "Not what you were expecting, huh?"

"Do you have a death wish?! You're a total dip-shit! What the hell do you expect is going to happen when you mess with that stuff?" My voice was shrill and panicked.

All I could think of was a story in the Bible, in the first chapter of Jude, when Satan and Michael the Archangel are fighting over the body of Moses. Michael wouldn't even _dare_ to provoke, except to say "The LORD rebuke you." So… if Biblically an _angel_ won't taunt the demonic, it's probably not the best idea for a man to do so. You _think_?

"What do you expect me to do? I know the risks, Des. I've had to deal with it for a while now."

"Okay, so you're just _stupid._"

He frowned at me. "I wish you would believe me when I say that I'm much more prepared and aware than the average person going up against the unseen. It has not been easy, but it's my passion."

I sighed. _Leave it alone, Desiree._ "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm just emotionally hyper-sensitive to this kind of thing, so it's hard not to rant." I smiled weakly in an attempt to lighten the mood and hooked my arm in his. "So, breakfast?"

He grinned, gesturing towards the hallway. "Right this way." He led me to the table and pulled back my chair for me. He gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze and set a plate with a couple pieces of bacon and two giant messy pancakes in front of me.

It really was very sweet of him, but at this point I was just too riled up to be hungry. I didn't want to be rude though, so I picked at my plate and nibbled at the bacon while he ate. He raised an eyebrow at me, "No good?"

I shook my head. "It tastes great, I just am not hungry." He set his fork down and put his hands loosely on the table, leaning forward on his elbows.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Well yeah, I'm fine. Just shook up."

His left hand grabbed mine and his thumb stroked the top of my hand. "Anything else I can do?"

I looked at him, contemplating how he operates. He is a paranormal investigator, so one would expect him to understand what I'm going through. But he's a man who will bully the unseen, which is a clear indication that he doesn't fully understand what he's up against. I appreciated his concern, and really, he had a better understanding than most people would. However, it was hard to find much comfort in what I saw as ignorance to the actuality of my monsters and the depth of my plight.

"No Zak, thank you." I forked off a bite of pancakes and shoved it into my mouth disinterestedly.

He stared at me for another moment. I fidgeted. It felt like he was reading my mind again, though he didn't say a word.

I had to break the awkward silence. "I think I want to fly down to Dallas this weekend."

A small smile crept over his face. "What for?"

"I miss my church." It was a lame excuse, but I really did. I hadn't found anything here in Vegas that was a "non-denom" church or that was reformed apologetics-savvy. Lots of Catholic churches though… I just wasn't ready to dig on that.

"Doesn't your church podcast?"

"Well yeah, but it's a totally different experience when you're just listening to a sermon on your headphones from being there with a group of people who are there for worship singing and praying and learning. The feel and the emotions are different than via podcast, and I absorb things differently in that environment."

He nodded. "So you're going to fly down for church and then fly back?"

"Well dad said they could afford to fly me back from time to time."

He stood up, taking our plates. "How about you let me buy your ticket." He set the plates in his kitchen sink and came back to the table.

_Excuse me?_

"Zak…"

He shushed me with a hand to my mouth. "I want to go with you."

I sighed. _This will be interesting._

* * * * * * _[~7PM]_

We pulled up to a large building in the northern suburbs of DFW.

"This is it," I breathed.

Zak slowly taxied around the lot, caught up in a parade of cars. "Where do we park?"

I pointed at a man waving orange batons in his hands, directing cars into spots. "Wherever he tells us."

We finally parked and hiked back to the building. The building used to be a grocery store, so it doesn't look like your typical mega-Christian-factory church building. And honestly, this congregation is too raw to be one of those kinds of churches. Too gritty. The pastor there doesn't tickle ears very well, so the fact that this church is as large as it is… well, that's actually very unusual for down here in the Bible Belt.

I had been dragged to this church unwillingly by an old friend three years ago. It looked like every other put-on-your-pretty-face-and-pretend-everything's-alright prissy churches from the outside. I was convinced at the time that my relationship with God through Christ was JUST fine without the help of a dumb church begging me for my money.

I was shocked after my first visit. The pastor is a former agnostic and is very open about talking through logic and apologetics (though he's admitted that he would prefer that to be a one-on-one conversation over a drink) and he has a very aggressive, sarcastic way about how he teaches.

In short… he probably offends those I like to call "good fucking church people" every Sunday.

As we approached the front doors, a young woman dressed in a tailored dress-suit was holding the door open. She smiled at me, "Hey! It's Desiree, right? I haven't seen you in forever!"

I hadn't become a "covenant" member until a couple months before I was laid off, so I never really was that engaged in the community there. I had my friends that I sat with, when I could, but I wasn't officially plugged into a home group or anything like that. Regardless, I re-learned what "Christian" means and finally understood the weight of it after I started visiting here. It's vibrant and honest. I'd probably be back into Wicca by now if I hadn't been led to this place.

Anyway… I knew this was one of the women that I had visited a home group with and had spent some time with here… however for the life of me I could not remember what her name was. I just played it off with an "Oh! Hi! …yeah, I moved out of state and I'm back in town for the weekend."

"That's great. Listen, let me know if you need some company for lunch. There's this new Pho restaurant that we've been dying to try."

"Ok," I mumbled as I walked past her.

We walked through the foyer towards the sanctuary. I heard my name from across the atrium. A girl with red and purple dreads, ripped jeans, and eight pieces of metal in her face was running towards me. "Hey!"

How do you forget someone like that? "Hey, Jade," I said, giving her a hug.

"How's Vegas?"

I shrugged. "It's not too bad."

"How long are you in town?"

"Just the weekend."

She finally noticed Zak and raised an eyebrow, but didn't acknowledge him further. "That sucks! My band has a show Thursday night, would of been awesome for you to come."

She then did a quick sweeping glance to see if anyone else was around to listen and lowered her voice. "I've been talking with Steven about that thing… you know."

I sighed.

"See we thought that you moving had something to do with that. Because remember, you kinda disappeared after they… after they came to visit you." Her green eyes were full of concern.

"No it didn't. But yeah, it was kind of difficult to get out in public after that whole ordeal."

She nodded, frowning. "Steven said they didn't get rid of it."

"Nope."

I totally had my tough girl act on. Jade is such a laid back girl that I really don't mind HER asking me about it, but she was only a year in on her faith so I wasn't sure if she would be mature enough to accept that Steven and Caleb couldn't release me from the demon.

She surprised me with a "Well, it's not like this thing is stronger than God. I just have been worrying about you, I don't want you to get discouraged like I was."

I smiled, relieved to hear the evidence of growth in her. "By the way, this is Zak."

Zak looked relieved that I had finally brought him into the conversation. He reached out and shook Jade's hand. "How's it going?"

She gave him a wary, distant smile, then turned back to me. "Let's go grab seats before it fills up."


	21. Skeptics and Hypocrites

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists/leaders are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional. **Once again, the religious views in this chapter are not intended to offend the reader's beliefs in any way, shape, or form. ****They are strictly for character/plot development.**** PM me for links or questions or comments, regardless whether you agree or not with the message.*****

**Chapter XX – Skeptics and Hypocrites**

This particular church had just built a larger building two years ago, because they had to turn people away from every service because of fire codes. And now, this building—which is twice as big—is starting to go through that as well, apparently. I looked around at the dark room. Cushioned benches clogged the space, while dim lightbulb clusters hung from the black ceiling. Black wrought-iron candle holders were randomly arranged across the stage, with a small sheet-music podium was positioned off to the side at the front.

Zak whispered to me as we slowly made our way down an isle. "Did I do something wrong? She didn't seem to happy to see me."

I shrugged. "She's had a bad past with men, so who knows." I laughed, "She is in therapy for it. She's a real cool girl." She actually was a "recovering" feminist, which she had become while trying to recover from multiple abusive relationships. She still really fights to trust men, so her reaction to Zak wasn't a surprise to me at all.

We sat about 8 rows back from the stage. I had a couple of people recognize me and would come say hello or wave from wherever they were seated, which made me feel more comfortable. I'm glad I'm not just a number in a place this big.

Steven, the campus pastor, came out onto the stage and delivered a greeting. He welcomed everyone and explained that everyone in that room is in one of two streams – either they're a believer who is a member or a visitor there, in that case, they were more than welcome to join in communion… or they're not a believer and either was tricked, dragged, or guilted into this room. He went on to say that he was especially glad for that stream, and that this church is one that is never afraid to talk about tough questions, and they'll never turn anyone away for asking them.

He motioned to the chairs and said, "By the way, there is a hard black Bible underneath every one of your seats. If you do not have a Bible, you are welcome to take it home with you." I smiled at Zak as he raised his eyebrows at Steven's speech. He reached under his chair and began thumbing through the pages.

"Of course if you want a nicer one, there is a lounge area out in the foyer, and that is where the Lost & Found is. You're likely to find a fancy leather bound one in there… Also, if you just want to talk to someone or have a problem with anything, that same area is where there will be men and women who are willing to talk with you, pray with you, whatever you need." He then began to roll through some announcements about events coming up and such. I watched Zak as he fingered the little notecard sized bulletin he was handed when we entered the sanctuary. He flipped it over to reveal a space to take notes, with "Luke 6:39-49" showcased at the top.

Steven took a couple steps back as he motioned for the worship team to come up on stage. I caught his eye and he nodded to me as he beckoned everyone to stand. Zak was shifting nervously beside me, stuffing his hands down his pockets. I gently wrapped my hands around his left bicep and gave him a soft squeeze. "Relax, Conan."

He removed his left hand from his pocket and hugged my shoulders, placing a kiss on the top of my head. "I'll try."

Steven walked off stage and Shane, the worship leader, took his place, holding an acoustic/electric rhythm guitar. Lauren, the lead pastor's wife, took her place off to the side of Shane. Also there were musicians for drums, keyboard, two more guitars, and bass all taking their places. I smiled as I watched; every single person looked like they came from a completely different walk of life, from a successful corporate businessman to a stoner college kid.

Shane prayed over us and then began playing his guitar. "Let's get ready to praise the Lord!"

Zak snorted a laugh, which made me giggle. _Yeah that was a bit cliché_. Shane has always been a bit on the cheesy side.

The lead guitar ripped into _O God of Our Salvation_ and the rest of the band followed. I closed my eyes and listened while the fifteen-hundred-plus people in the room sang out.

As the song ended, Matt walked out on stage. The lanky 37-year-old was wearing a plaid button-up shirt with rolled-up sleeves, faded blue jeans, and brown Pumas. Zak leaned over to whisper in my ear, "I see why you said not to get all dressed up!"

Matt reiterated what Steven had already stated—that he was so glad for those who were visiting, especially the non-believers. He went on to talk about how he used to be in that boat, causing Zak to raise an eyebrow at me. I just shrugged and gave him a small nod.

With that out of the way, Matt launched into a disclaimer. "We have an unbelievable amount of work to do tonight. And it's honestly not pleasant or generally well-received. But when you hired me, I made a promise to you that I'd preach the Bible and never apologize for it, and I would trust that the Scriptures are sufficient to grow us into the fullness of Christ. So, you don't need me to be cute or clever and you don't need for me to be creative. You just need me to unapologetically preach the Word in a way that could be grasped and understood. That's what you pay me for. So if you leave here angry tonight… you paid me to do it, alright? So let's get going."

I grinned. _That's more like it._

Matt began to talk about the ruling religious leaders and how Jesus talked to them, referencing Matthew 23 as an example, among others. He obviously wasn't a huge fan of them, and would constantly work them over. And they didn't like Him either – they constantly called him a drunkard and a friend of sinners, while he constantly called out that they—as teachers—were blind. He started reading at Luke 6:39, then began his exegetical commentary. "So, His main problem with the Pharisees is they're using the same Scriptures and pointing to the same God, but the path they're laying to get to that God is wrong…. They twist and pervert the texts and the laws that are intended to point to the Living God as a means to make much of themselves, rather than making much of God.

"Now, I wish more than you know, as a pastor, that false teachers and men who would make much of themselves rather than much of God would have died out with the death and resurrection of Jesus, but that has not happened. And it only takes not even a very careful reading but just a normal reading of the New Testament to see that, after Jesus dies, is resurrected, the Christian Church begins to flourish, that false teachers and men who would make much of themselves instead of much in Christ continue to be a problem across the landscape. Let me just read you one of what really could be any of forty-six texts. 2 Peter 2:1-3. **'But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemy. And in their greed they will exploit you **_**with stories that they have made up.**_**'**" Matt gave out a couple more verses to drive his point home. (II Corinthians 2:17, Galations 1:8, Romans 16:17-19, I Timothy 6:3-5)

Matt rubbed his hands together. "Okay. It's time for me to be careful, because this is _not_ just a New Testament problem! It goes forth to this very day… and I contend that almost _everything_ at that Christian bookstore down the street is filled with horrific errors. In fact, most of the most-popular ones are theological train wrecks. Let me give you an example." Matt gestured to the screen behind him. "Although I was going to list several examples up on the screen for you, I thought that for time's sake I could make my point with one. And seriously, I'm not naming names; that's not my job. If you want to know, e-mail me… And I'll e-mail you back: 'I told you I'm not doing that.'"

Zak snickered along with some other people in the room while Matt continued, "The following is an excerpt from one of the most popular Christian books in the last eight years. It has sold over 600,000 copies. I swear, I will do _nothing_ but quote him. Listen to this. **'In an attempt to secure the sovereignty of God, theologians...'** By they way, in most books, theologians are always made out to be this wicked, evil group that sits around trying to destroy Christianity. In reality, theology simply means 'the study of God.' Theologians are simply those who study God. Okay, sorry, let's keep moving." He shook his head and laughed softly before he went on. "**'…have overstated their case and left us with a chess player God playing both sides of the board, making all His moves and all ours too. But clearly this is not so.' **…Clearly!** 'God is a person who takes immense risks. No doubt the biggest risk of all was when He gave angels and men free will, including the freedom to reject Him, not just once but every single day.****There is something much more risky here than we are often willing to admit.'**

"And He goes on,** 'God did not make Adam and Eve to obey Him. He took a risk, a staggering risk with staggering consequences. He let others into His story, and He lets their choices shape it profoundly. It's not the nature of God to limit His risk and cover His bases. God's relationship with us and with our world is just that, it's a relationship. As with every relationship, there's a certain amount of unpredictably, and the ever-present likelihood that you'll get hurt. God's willingness to risk is just astounding, far beyond what any of us would do if we were in His position.'**

"Now that sounds very, very beautiful and very nice and lovely… it made me feel warm just reading it. Like I started feeling warmer and fuzzier! So let me lay out a couple of problems. One, I have _no_ idea what he's talking about when he says 'clearly.' Because the God of the _Bible_ and the God _he_ just described are not even in the same solar system. The God who _risks_? In order for God to risk, He can't know the future! So now we have a God that doesn't even know tomorrow!"

Matt took a step forward and added a tinge of aggressive desperation to his voice. "Well, _you_ worship and sing to Him all you want! Because if _I_ can fix it, I don't need Him! If I don't have an all-knowing, everywhere, sovereign, powerful God… then _please_ someone help me understand how we get through life? We have _no_ hope, because God is _just_ as surprised as we are! Listen… I've said it before, but it bears repeating: God is _not_ the ambulance driver that shows up _after_ the wreck! He's the surgeon that will make the cut. And He makes it knowing _exactly_ what to cut out, _exactly_ what to leave in, _exactly_ what to take, _exactly_ what to let alone."

He took another step forward and lowered his volume, focusing his words to a lethal intensity. "This _is_… The giant. Scary. Worthy of worship. Eternal. _God_ of the Bible—who not only _knows_ tomorrow—but is already _there_."

I sighed. That was a concept that I had a hard time getting past when I began walking in my faith, but I've managed to get over it. I cannot operate outside of time, so I shouldn't have the categories to understand how anyone or anything _could_ operate outside of time.

So no, I still don't get it, but I think that if we were able to understand every concept and facet of God, then he would be something that we made up. Brandon and I had gotten into multiple extensive arguments about this on our walks, as he is a vehement atheist and I'm… well… _not_.

My A.D.D. kicked in and I began to skim through the passages that Matt had already mentioned, feeling my ears burning red. I've read a lot of crap when scouring the bookstore, and I've heard a lot of shitty podcasts from idiots who call themselves teachers of the Word. T.D. Jakes, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, Steven Furtick… the list goes on and on. They make me physically agitated and severely angry. They're crooks and gloryhounds… and my hypocritical little heart wants to physically hurt them.

I was broken out of my thoughts as Matt deflated and shook his head. "Six-hundred thousand believers ate this thing up, and it's a lie. It is not the truth. And nowhere on pages 31-33 does he have one Scripture reference to clarify any of it."

"So here's what we've got to decide: who can be trusted? Here are our options. The sixty-six books of our Scriptures, written over a period of a thousand years, in three languages, on three continents. The authors included kings and peasants and fishermen. There are books of history, architectural specifications, geography, family lineages, and even a love song. These sixty- six separate books deal with hundreds of different controversies, all with uncanny unity… So there's that, or a forty-year-old dude who penned his thoughts on God. You see, what's happening here is conjecture, and conjecture is a lot of fun. I mean, conjecture is just imagination, isn't it? I enjoy that, but conjecture is a plaything… and what we're doing here isn't playing.

"See, you've got these weird choices that _seem_ really simple. You can go with the Scriptures that are a thousand years old and have produced depth of life and passion for Christ all over the world, that has withstood the test of time and culture. Or…you can go 'No, a random dude who's just really creative—I like that guy's story.' This is what all of us are going to have to decide. So, what are the things that we have to watch for that will tip us off that what we are absorbing is dangerous?"

He held his hands up in a "calm down" gesture. "Now, let me clarify here. I am not trying to tell you what to read or watch! I'm not into book burning or removing books from public libraries. Do you know why I can quote most of these books to you? Because I've _read_ them. That being said, what are the things that we can look for that should raise the red flag in our heads? There are thousands of tips and ideas, but I've got them boiled down to four questions.

"First… _What do they do with the Scriptures?_ Are the Scriptures cold and dead? …I would hope they're not, since I talk about them every week! This is one of the things that I find to be very ironic, because honestly it's just a reverse picture of itself. Right now in this culture, if you'll get into a discussion about what God's like _and_ you try to use the Bible, you're immediately labeled as some kind of cold, dead seminarian. The funny part is the picture of God that _most_ people buy into is extremely effeminate."

Zak raised his eyebrows. Matt apparently picked up on the apprehension from Zak and others in the crowd. He grinned and shrugged, setting his Bible down on the music stand. "Okay, look. We'll even step outside of Christian literature on this. Go read _Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus_, and look at the list of how they describe men. Then, look at the list of how they describe women. After that, think to yourself, 'What have I been taught about Jesus? Does He land on _this_ side or does He land on _that_ side?'

"I guarantee for most of you, He will land on the woman's side. He is usually completely effeminate and never gets angry. He's just fluttering about, 'Love, love, love!' Sin has not bothered Him. Debauchery has not bothered Him. The offense against His great name has not bothered Him. He's just floating about, pixie-dusting people! So when you try to challenge that view, usually the response you'll get is _'Ugh!'_ …Especially if you're trying to do that with the Scriptures.

"So… _somehow_… the Scriptures are now being tied to dead orthodoxy, which is _insane_. It is throwing out a thousand years of transformation and power, and replacing it with some dude's conjecture, or what your brilliance somehow came up with." Zak looked over me cynically. _Please, don't shut down, Zak. Don't turn him off just yet._ I squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Now, I don't mean to be offensive, but there _was_ a time you believed a fat white man came down your chimney. There was a time you believed in the Tooth Fairy. I could go on and on, all the way up to whatever age you are now. There is a way that seems right to us—there is a thing that makes sense to us—that in the end will get everybody killed." I giggled softly at his paraphrase of Paul's words. It seemed to strike the heartstrings more effectively.

"So at some point, what you _think_ has to become submissive to what God has _already_ unpacked as to how He does things. Now, you can walk away from that, but I don't know what you're walking _to_… Anyway, please don't tie the Scriptures to dead orthodoxy. Now, Christ help us, there are men who killed it, who have taken what is living and active and moving, and once again made it some set list of paradigms that we all have to follow… Which is the other side of this problem, by the way…" _Well, yeah. No shit._ "…But we don't have time for that today!

"Next, _watch what is said in regards to the _purity_ of Scripture._ You ought to be very careful of people who would say, 'Uh yeah, I think we should just follow what's _red letter_. See, Paul said _that_, Jesus didn't, so we shouldn't have to pay attention to it.'" Matt let out a sarcastic laugh. "Okay. We can preach on just what Jesus preached on… He mentions hell eleven times. He talks about money more than He talks about anything else. Do you want me to do a 42-week series on _money_? And _hell_? We don't have to go Pauline! I can do eleven messages on hell, followed up with fifty-six messages on how you're so selfish and greedy with your money… that you're probably reaping judgment on yourself. Come on, next week, you wanna go?" He grinned sardonically as the crowd laughed quietly.

Jade nudged me, smirking. "I'd move to Vegas with you at that point," she whispered.

"Why not? We can just do Jesus, but that's _not_ what they're talking about. No, they just want to pick and choose out of Jesus' teachings, which can get very perverse very quickly." At this point Matt stepped over to the music stand and leaned a wrist heavily on it. "While we're on this route, let me just clear something up. The Dead Sea Scrolls did _not_ destroy Christianity. The Dead Sea Scrolls did _not_ dissolve the Bible. There were scrolls of Isaiah found in those Dead Sea Scrolls that were almost to the letter the same Isaiah that's in that Bible in front of you. And the reason some of the rest of those scrolls weren't fitted into this book back then wasn't because there was some kind of political scandal back then meant to stomp them out. It's because they don't fit in this book; they go contrary to it."

Matt held up a hand, as though to pause an objection. "Look, why would you include a book that says, 'Ah, Jesus wasn't really God,' written by some jealous or ignorant moron? See? More conjecture. Once again—one thousand years of uniformity vs. conjecture. Which one do you want to play in?"

Ah, Matt: the king of home-run hitting rabbit-trails… His A.D.D. serves him well.

"Here's the next question, and its a big one. _Do they add anything to the cross?_ And I _don't_ mean, 'Do they add a piece to the story?' What I mean by this is the Scriptures are unbelievably clear that Christ died once and for all for those who are being saved. Which means nothing gets added to it! It's _not_ 'Believe in the cross of Christ _and_ fill-in-the-blank to be saved.' I want to make clear here, I'm not talking _cognitively_ believing the cross of Christ. I'm referring to that thing that happens when _regeneration_ takes place. All the little moral codes and all the other things that we need to be doing or not doing? Those all start taking place in us _after_ the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit begins to work in our heart, _not _before. Which, by the way, is why if you're not a 'regenerate', but you're trying to do everything right… it's _so_ exhausting. There are main-line denominations that add to it: 'It's not just the cross, it's the cross and fill in the blank.' This. Is. _Wrong_."

"On that note, this is probably going to be where you stop liking me… If you don't already. What do they believe about the essence of man? Is man intrinsically good, or at the center of all that God is doing? Because that's a very popular idea. 'God made all of this for _us_!' Well it _sounds_ good, but the only problem with that is the _Bible_, because the Bible says that God made all of that as a display of His might, power and glory. That's a little bit different, right?"Matt picked his Bible back up. "'God created us for fellowship!' That's in the Bible? _Where?_" He flipped through his book mockingly.

"See, I just don't see that anywhere. God has never been lonely… And if He _was_, already we've attacked His 'godness' if He's lonely! But if _that's_ not it, then He's dumb. Why? Because He went, 'Here's how I'll fix My loneliness. I will create billions and billions of people who have no intention of obeying Me, worshiping Me, loving Me, only instead destroying all that I've created and cried out as sacred.'

"Great plan, right? Look, you've gotta get this. Man is _not_ intrinsically good. The depravity of man is the _only_ doctrine that we have _with_ thousands of years of evidence. Remember the Law? We talk about this all the time. You cannot pass the Ten Commandments—and that's Morality 101. 'Don't lie.' …Anybody get out clean? No. 'Don't covet.' …Anyone? No, everyone's guilty still.

"'Don't have any other gods before Him.' Now, don't think religiously there; think trinkets, toys, safety, things like that." Matt rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Do I need to keep going, or will you just take my word for it? I mean, you're not even going to pass that, so why does God give us all these laws in the Old Testament that He knows we can't do?" Zak nudged me. _I guess he's asked that question before. _Matt continued, "Do you think _maybe_ it was to reveal in the deep parts of our hearts that we can't, just so we'd be ready for a Savior?

"I know there's a lot of preachers right now that want to talk about your _goodness_, because that's a message that we _all_ want to hear, despite the fact that when we go to bed at night, we _know_ it's not true! Maybe we can distract ourselves from it during the rest of the day, but when you go to bed at night and it's just your brain screaming at you… you _know_ it. It's the core of who we are, how we are wired. We _need_ a Savior because we have nothing intrinsically great within us."

This was a concept that took me years to get my mind around, because I was taught a very schizophrenic version of Christianity growing up. I was not comfortable with the idea that we all suck on the inside. _Surely God wouldn't allow us be like that? But then He wouldn't force us to surrender our free will, would He?_ It took a demonic attachment for me to understand why I was designed to need a rescuer.

"Here's the fourth one. _What do they do with Jesus?_ Is He God in the flesh, resurrected from the death? The wrath-absorbing Son of God? …Or this is real popular right now: Is He a great _moral teacher_, a great _ethicist_, someone we should follow and emulate? Because if you leave off the God part, you've left Christianity altogether."

Matt sighed and set his Bible on the music stand. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Once again, I'm not trying to tell you what to read. I'm not trying to tell you what to watch. I've never done that. Now, Paul does it in one of these texts. He's like, 'I'd rather you just be innocent of evil. I'd rather you just avoid that stuff altogether.'"

He rolled his eyes and smirked. "Realistically, I don't think that's going to happen. So instead, here's what I would tell you. You should at least know these four questions. Remember that book I quoted earlier, that had such horrible things in it? It also had a couple of things that were really beautiful, I just had to wade through a lot of junk to get to them. I'm telling you that you've got to be careful. Why? Well… we just ready why." He pointed to his Bible, still open to the Luke 6 text.

"Because if you follow a blind guy, you end up in a ditch, right? Following hypocrisy and those who teach it will be the death of growth and vibrancy in your relationship with God. You've got to ask yourself these things, lest you let someone with a log in their eye try to pull out a little speck out of yours. Do you know what kind of damage that could do? These are things that have to be in your heart, have to be in your head lest you get led astray."

Matt took a step back, and quietly the worship team began to file back onto the stage."I don't confess to be a perfect man, nor to have all the answers, but I'm not afraid to tell you what the Bible says. Not afraid at all. And is there some hypocrisy in me? I'm sure there's some… But I welcome it being pointed out, and I throw my life at the mercy and grace of Christ and the elders of this church. Be careful, because the ditch is a horrible, horrible, horrible place to end up." He picked his bible back up and finished reading the chapter from verse 46.

Matt closed his Bible and looked up with concern in his eyes. He took a deep breath and then paraphrased what he had just read: "For the one who hears and applies, even when the streams and rivers leave their banks from flood and storm, and when they slam against the house, you will not be shaken. But, if you hear and do nothing, you will eventually be swept away… A lot of you even _now_ are living in the powerlessness of knowing truth and not applying it. The more you do that, the farther and farther you creep away from the power of God." He prayed over us, then began to walk backwards to make room for the worship team. "I love you guys. More than you know."

Lauren took the center mic and began to lead _You Are Faithful_. My heart was a wreck. I tried focusing on pushing a harmony out of my lungs to keep my emotions from spilling over, but the words to this song tore down that wall like it was tissue paper. I felt a tear roll down my cheek. Zak nudged me and gave me a raised eyebrow, as though to ask "what's wrong?" I smiled and put my hand in his.

"I'm fine," I whispered to him. The tears were from joy, not sadness. I'm still accepted by God despite the fact that I suck at life. _I couldn't ask to be in a better spot._ As I sang along I felt goosebumps spread over my arms, my face, down my spine. I let one hand reach upward as I leaned hard against Zak's shoulder. I felt him shudder against me.

Shane stepped back up to the center mic and sped up the tempo. He dropped the key and began to play the chords for _O Glorious Day._ I stopped singing and just listened. Eyes closed, face tilted heavenward, letting the voices and music crash over me. Wave after wave, forcing my grip on my ever-present anxiety to dissolve.

As the congregation finished the final chorus, Shane closed his eyes and lowered his voice to almost a whisper. "I'm going to pray for us, and then when I say 'amen' you're welcome to leave. But please do so very quietly. If you need to stay and pray or do business in your heart, you are free to do that. If you need to talk to someone there will be men and women at the front of the stage after the prayer, and they are here to listen. Please just bow your heads with me."

Zak hadn't reacted much to the music, other than a foot-tapping here or a head-nodding there. I figured it may be foreign to him, and I was fighting with the concept that I probably won't see him again after this.

_Don't blame yourself, he volunteered to come with you. You didn't drag him into anything._

As we were dismissed I sat down in my seat to gather my purse and notes from under my chair. Zak sat beside me, looking at the floor. I put a hand to his face and felt… was he_ shaking?!_

"Look, Zak, I didn't mean to…"

He stopped me with a small smile and putting a finger to my lips. He shook his head. "It's okay. I'm okay."

I pressed a gentle kiss into his shoulder. "I'm not asking you to drink the Kool-Aid."

"I know, sweetie."


	22. Barbeque and Babies

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XXI – Barbeque and Babies **

While people were filing out of the sanctuary, Shane and Lauren began playing guitar and singing softly _You Hold Me Now._ I took Zak's arm, letting him lead us out into the foyer and out into the parking lot. As soon as we were far enough away from other people, he looked down at me with a coy look on his face.

"No Kool-Aid, huh?"

"Well, I could just get a Bible and beat the shit out of your head with it, if you want."

He laughed. "I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll pass."

Once we were back on the road, I gingerly put my hand on his knee. "Zak, I'm really sorry."

He glanced over at me. "For what?"

"If this made you uncomfortable or anything like that…"

"No worries, sweetie. It was interesting." I could see that he had some inner turmoil going on, but I wasn't about to press him on it. "Whatchu want for lunch?"

I pointed at an upcoming light. "There's a _Spring Creek_ just up the road. Barbeque."

"You got it." He winked at me and hit his turn signal as he teasingly mumbled, "You damned Texans and your barbeque."

Zak and I moved through the line at Spring Creek BBQ silently. I got brisket, peppered kielbasa, green beans and potato salad. As I filled my drink I glanced back at Zak and stifled a giggle. He'd gotten ribs, sausage, turkey breast, corn on the cob, green beans and a loaded baked potato, contributing to my Hulk theory. We found a booth by a window and dug in. I felt my phone vibrate on my hip and I unlocked the screen. I smiled.

It was Jade. [_Where'd you run off to, young lady?_]

[_Young lady? Easy, kiddo! Zak and I went to S C BBQ if you want to join us._]

I glanced up at Zak, who was meticulously chewing a rib clean. My phone buzzed again. [_Be there in 10_]

I put my phone in my purse. "Jade's gonna join us here in a little bit."

Zak looked me over. "Okay. Then before she gets here, I have a question, but... I don't want you to freak out. I want you to know I'm expecting you to shoot me down on this."

I narrowed my eyes and held my breath. I knew where this was going.

"Desiree, will you let me, Aaron, and Nick investigate the Shadow… _if_ we approach it from your belief system? We would center the investigation around your church's beliefs and your past. We wouldn't even mention it to _Travel Channel_ unless you want us to after it's all said and done."

I sighed, "I'll think about it, but for now… no."

A curvy young waitress with a basket of fresh baked rolls flounced over to our table. She flipped back her black hair and smiled at Zak. "Another roll?"

He shrugged. I laughed as she delivered a roll from the basket to his plate. She was bending over in the process, trying to allow him a clear visual of her cleavage. He turned beet red.

She straightened back up and winked at him. "Anything else I can do for you, sweetie?"

His eyes grew wide and he just nodded to me, whom she hadn't even acknowledged yet. She sighed and turned to me, frustrated at his lack of response to her flirting. "What about you?"

I laughed. "I don't need anymore bread. But actually, can I get two jars of sauce? We are in town visiting and I'd like to take some back with us." I turned to Zak. "Their barbeque sauce is amazing."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure." Giving Zak one last sultry look, she stomped off.

I let out the laughter I'd been holding in. "Zak I shouldn't go out with you in public anymore, it's gonna get me shot."

He took both my hands from across the table and sighed. "I'm really sorry about that. I-"

"Here you go," the waitress slammed a paper bag down in between us, forcing us to jerk our hands back. She cocked a head at me, as if daring me to rebuke her for what she just purposefully did. "Ten dollars."

I heard Zak suck in a breath, waiting for the drama. I looked at him and gave him a sweet smile, winking. I then turned back to the bitch and opened up my wallet. "Thank you so much," I handed her a twenty. She yanked it out of my hand and started fishing around in her apron for change, but I stopped her and shook my head.

"No, honey, that's for you." Hell of a way to counteract a surly waitress, huh?

She mumbled a thank you and walked off. Zak breathed out and took one of my hand. "Again, I need to reiterate that this is not about the show. This is about you. That's why we aren't even going to bring it up to the network unless you say so… and only after we've done it."

I stared at him for a moment, then barked a laugh. Zak blushed furiously.

"Done… the _investigation_. Completed it!"

I laughed, squeezed his hand and then returned to my food. "Like I said, I'll think about it."

_No way in hell._

Just then Jade showed up with a tray. "Hey, jerks."

I grinned and scooted over so she could sit down next to me. She unloaded her tray and set it on the empty table behind us. "So what did ya think?" she asked, looking at Zak pointedly. _Yikes!_

He picked at his food. "The guy's a great speaker."

I quickly moved to deflect the conversation. "So Jade, are you still playing with the same band?" I motioned to Zak. "She played lead guitar in a rock band with two other girls."

She shoved a bite of baked potato into her mouth and shook her head. Swallowing, she sighed. "Nah, there was too much drama."

I laughed. "Well, what did you expect? You're all females!"

She gave me a stink-eye. "Now I play for a metal band."

"What kind of metal?"

"Umm… alternative metal… Like _Flyleaf_."

"Badass," said Zak. Jade smiled at him. "Thanks. The chemistry is really good with them. There are three other girls and one dude that plays bass and does backup vocals and screaming. It's pretty sick."

We continued to eat in silence after that. When we were finished Jade gave me a long hug outside the restaurant.

"I miss you, girl!"

I laughed and kissed her cheek. "Come visit me in Vegas, sometime!" I winked at Zak over her shoulder.

She sighed. "Maybe someday when I'm a rockstar." She turned to Zak and offered her hand. "It was nice to meet you."

He took it and grinned his dopey grin. "Likewise." Jade set off to her rickety old Pinto and waved as her car coughed and sputtered out of the lot. Zak turned to me.

"So we should probably check in somewhere for the night."

I frowned. "Like, _together?_"

He laughed and put an arm around me as we walked towards the car. "We can get separate rooms if it would make you feel any better."

* * * * * * _[3AM]_

I sat straight up in my bed. The television in the middle of the room was blaring static. I frowned, reached for the remote, and turned it off. I put my face in my hands and sighed, drinking in the silence in the dark room.

Zak had bought us two motel rooms right next to each other. I lucked out and got a room with two full-sized beds, while he was stuck in a room with one queen.

_At least he was a gentleman about it._

I laid back down and rolled over onto my side, aggravated that I would forget to turn the TV off. I was just about to drift back to sleep when the TV began to flicker back on again, this time showing a blue screen. I sat up again. _What the hell?_ I turned it off again.

Not five seconds later, the static clicked back on.

_I can't believe this._ I knew it was a cheap motel, but you would think they'd take better care of their appliances. I walked over to the television and yanked the cord out of the wall. _So there._

I returned to my bed and crawled back under the covers. I closed my eyes… and heard the static again. I looked up and saw that the television, despite being unplugged from the wall, was definitely _on._

_Shit._ I knew what this was, now. I grabbed my phone and my room key and bolted out of the room. I walked down the breezeway to Zak's room, shivering. I knocked gently on his door, but heard no response. I turned to look back at my room, with the door still wide open.

A dark shadowy mass came out onto the breezeway.

Panicked, I banged as hard as I could on Zak's door. The Shadow began to advance, but it dissipated as Zak yanked his door open. "What's wrong?"

"The Shadow's fucking with me."

He groaned and vanished into his room, reappearing moments later. "Do you want to stay in here?"

"My room has two beds."

"And a demon."

I rolled my eyes. "Please?"

He sighed and nodded. He pocketed his room key and closed the door behind him. "Let's go." He led me back down the breezeway to my room and walked in. I stood in the doorway as he walked slowly around the room.

"Whatever was here is gone now."

I crawled back into my bed and watched him as he checked the bathroom, then returned to the door to lock us in. "Try to get some sleep, Des," he whispered, scooting under the covers of the other bed.

There was no way I was getting any sleep after all of that. I rolled over to put my back to him and stared at the back of my eyelids until the sun came up.

* * * * * * _[Sunday afternoon]_

Holly and Sadie greeted me as I walked in the front door. I hadn't seen them since Friday morning, so obviously Holly was worried.

"So… How was your date… that spanned several days and multiple states?" She gave me a knowing wink, despite the concern in her voice.

I smiled at her. "Zak took me on a hiking trip and had packed a picnic dinner for me."

"Awwww!"

"Then he took me back to his house…"

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh?"

I sighed. "Nothing happened!"

She smirked.

"Holly, we fell asleep on the couch watching a movie. I woke up in the middle of the night and decided to go sleep on a real bed, but I was attacked as soon as I laid down."

Her eyes went wide. "The Shadow?"

I nodded.

"What the fuck?"

"It threw me again… and Zak gave me CPR." I pulled up my shirt to show the bruise in the middle of my chest.

"Omigod," Holly stood there for a moment, trying to decide what to do first. She walked to the kitchen, got out two shot glasses, then filled both with Maker's Mark and downed one of them, setting the other one on the bar for me to take. I smiled at her and threw back the shot. _Good idea._

She filled her glass up two more times, then put the bottle away and went and sat down on the couch, her head in her hands. "So how does that end you up in Texas?"

"I told him I wanted to go visit my old church, and he immediately bought us plane tickets. It was weird."

"Did you share a hotel room?!"

I rolled my eyes. "He got us two separate rooms."

"I feel a _but_ coming on."

"Shut up! …He ended up staying in my room on the other bed. The Shadow kept messing with the TV, so I couldn't sleep."

"'Nothing happened' then either, huh?"

I rolled my eyes. "Give it a rest, will you?"

She smiled and got up. She began leafing through our DVD collection. "That's weird that it's been so active lately. How was church?"

"I saw Jade… her hair is now purple and red instead of orange and green."

"Figures, but how was _church?_"

I dug around in my bag. "Matt brought it, and he brought it hard. It was a very bold message without any candy-coating… and the worship was just what I needed."

I pulled the two jars of barbeque sauce out of my bag. "And… I brought you something!" I held one out for her. She clapped.

"Gimme!"

I laughed at her as she ran to the kitchen. I dumped my clothes out of my bag into the washer and unpacked my toiletries. I came back into the living room as Holly was writing "MINE" on the top of her jar.

I went to Fluffy's tank and lifted him out. "Hey, fucker." I set him on my chest and collapsed back on the couch as Holly called from the kitchen, "So what did Zak think about it?" She came around the corner into the living room with a concerned look on her face.

I shrugged. "I dunno. I may have scared him off."

"It was that bad?"

I shrugged and stroked Fluffy's nose with a fingertip. "I don't even know what his exact religious beliefs are anyway, Holly. He didn't say anything, so I didn't ask."

She popped _The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo_ into the DVD player and collapsed next to me on the couch, laying her head on my shoulder. "Smart woman."

* * * * * * _[Early November]_

"Desiree, hurry up!" Holly banged on my bedroom door.

"I know, I know," I grumbled. It had been three weeks since my trip to Dallas. Holly, Veronique and I had a shopping date.

I was grouchy because I'd only talked to Zak once or twice since we got back in town. The guys surprisingly didn't have to travel during those weeks, but he still was keeping his distance. Due to my never-ending anxiety, I'd been back in my antisocial mode more or less, but Holly and Veronique were determined to shake me loose of it. They had talked me into taking a day off from work to participate in some serious girl-time.

"DES! Are you SERIOUS?!" Holly is much better at time management than I am… and she does not like to be kept waiting for anything.

"Alright! Damn!" I had been fussing over what to wear, since we were a little behind on our laundry. Defeated, I snagged an old pair of jeans from my closet and yanked them on. I pulled on a black Demon Hunter (the band) T-shirt and stepped into my black studded flats, then putting on a black _Dizmas_ jacket. I ran to my bathroom and quickly dusted my face with foundation and blush and drew a thick line of black eyeliner over my eyes. I turned and ran out of my room, nearly crashing into Holly in the hallway.

"Took you long enough!" She had been pacing back and forth, already holding our purses, ready to bolt when I was. We piled into her Mazdaspeed 3 and raced down the street. Ten very illegally driven minutes later, we screeched to a halt in front of Nick and Veronique's house. Only then did Holly look me over.

"What on earth are you wearing?"

I looked down. My jeans had rips in them, my shirt had a cow skull with demon horns and cross hairs, and my shoes had spikes on them. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

She rolled her eyes. "I love you, crazy girl," she sighed, getting out of the car. We walked up the sidewalk and rang their front door. We were only there maybe 3 seconds when the door was yanked open.

Zak stood in the doorway, a surprised look on his face.

"Is V ready?" Holly asked, walking right past him. I blushed and looked at my feet, skittering past him and trailing Holly into the house.

"We're ready!" Veronique came down the stairs holding Annabelle. I'd never met this child before and felt instantly self-concious. _This is why Holly was asking about my shirt._

Veronique smiled at me. "Annabelle, this is Desiree." I squatted down on my ankles as she set Annabelle on the floor.

"Hey, sweetheart. I'm Desiree." She crawled towards me and I met her halfway, scooping her up in my arms. "You are so beautiful!" She smiled and pulled at one of my curls dangling in front of my eyes.

_OUCH…_ I just smiled and talked to her quietly. "Do you want to go shopping with us today?"

"Hang on, just gotta make sure I've got everything," Veronique said, walking towards what I assume is Annabelle's room. Holly scooped Annabelle out of my arms and began talking to her in a cooey voice.

Babies are awesome… Especially when they aren't mine.

I felt a hand on my back. I turned to see Zak towering over me, studying the logo on my shirt.

"What are _you_ doing here, Zak?"

"What do you mean?"

"We've only talked maybe twice in the past few weeks."

He put his hand at the small of my back and steered me towards the living room. "Well I came over to help Nick play mechanic."

I eyeballed his clean hands. "Oh really?"

He smiled. "I found out you and Holly were coming over to pick up V, so I figured I'd wait for you to get here first."

I sighed, "Okay… and what's this dirt on your face?" I winked and lightly touched what were the beginnings of a mustache and a goatee. He blushed and took my hand in his, removing it from his face.

"It's a work in progress."

I took a deep breath and started in on what was chewing at my sanity. "Listen, Zak… I'm sorry if the church thing was too weird."

He chuckled and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. "It wasn't. I just figured you needed to sort your own self out for a while and I didn't want to distract you."

"Why did you think that?"

He deflated a bit. "Because that's how I felt after we got back."

_What does that mean?_ I still wasn't going to push on him on it, because I know how fragile that conversation can be. "Okay, that's cool."

He winked at me. "You know, you can always text or call me. I haven't been avoiding you _that_ badly—I would have gladly responded or met up with you."

I laughed and stuck my nose up in the air. "You want it, you chase it. Call me old-fashioned, but that's not my job, kind sir!"

He grinned and lifted my hand to his mouth and pressed a hard kiss to my palm. "Why yes, milady, of course! I'll keep that in mind next time," he winked.

"Is there a reason you two are speaking in really piss-poor English accents?" Holly announced her presence in the room.

We both giggled and looked at each other, blushing. She sighed and picked up her purse and her keys. "Nothing worse than a Vegas boy and a damn Texan trying to sound British."

"I'll say," said Nick, coming in from the garage. His jeans and his shirt were filthy and he had grease streaked from his hands to his elbows. "Zak, are you ready? I can't install this without you dude."

Zak winked at me and stood up. "On my way, boss." He placed a quick peck on my forehead and headed through the kitchen towards where Nick disappeared. "You girls have fun!"

"We will," Veronique called, reappearing carrying a diaper bag and a car seat. We headed out and piled into Holly's car. As we pulled out of the driveway, Nick and Zak came out to wave us off. I watched them until they disappeared in the rearview mirror.

I couldn't help but wonder what the facial expression on Zak's face meant. It looked compassionate… and almost painful.


	23. Couture Dresses and Bunny Rabbits

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XXII – Couture Dresses and Bunny Rabbits**

Holly, Veronique, and I wandered through the man atrium of the lower level of the Fashion Show mall, taking turns pushing Annabelle's stroller. I was as lost as could be. I am not in the tax bracket for those whom the majority of these stores cater to, and with my casual attire I stuck out like a sore thumb.

Holly saw me fidgeting and flashed a wicked smirk. "See what I mean, Des?"

"Yeah…"

Veronique looked at her. "What?"

I sighed. "She made fun of me for dressing so casually. I didn't realize we were coming here!"

Holly snorted. "Where did you think we were going? Ross?"

I shuddered. _Gross._

Veronique pointed to the Neiman Marcus store looming up beside us. "Let's get after it, ladies."

We wandered through the cosmetics and fragrances slowly. I lingered long enough to get a spray of _Jivago_ 24K Gold… wow it smells great.

Holly nudged me. "You gonna buy some of that?"

I shook my head. _Not here._ I've found it for less than 20 dollars online. There's no way I'm spending over a hundred dollars on it.

I picked up a shirt that I thought I might like. I didn't like it. I just thought I could _eventually_ like it. It was over twelve hundred dollars.

_SHIT! Why did I even _touch_ that?_

We moved through the dresses and I tried on one dress for fun. It was almost seventeen hundred bucks, but it was a pretty blue with black lace designs on it, with a frill that came from over one shoulder across the chest. I quickly regretted it; this style is not made to be worn by large-busted women. It's just a bit ridiculous. Holly was having much more success than I was. She found a pair of 7-inch, black, lace-up heels and also a long sleeved black minidress with dark floral prints across the shoulders, stomach, and hips.

I gave up and decided to take on baby duty, playing with Annabelle as the girls tried on different clothes.

I heard Veronique's muffled voice through the dressing room doors. "So Holly, what's up with you and Aaron?"

Holly cackled a laugh, "Nothing really. I like him and all; I am just not wanting a serious relationship."

"Yeah, she just lets him take her out and pay for everything, she stays over at his place… nothing going on at all," I smarted off.

Veronique laughed and Holly cracked open her door enough to flip me the bird. "Speaking of '_nothing going on_,' Desiree…" Holly said playfully, "What about you and Zak?"

Veronique peeked out of her door, eyeballing me. "Oooh, _yeah_, what's going on with that?!"

I felt a wave of heat wash over me. Damned dressing room gossip. "Nothin'," I mumbled.

Holly laughed and shrieked. "You're such a horrible liar! Come on, out with it!"

I swallowed and let out a long sigh. I hadn't been forced to examine my emotions about this man until now… Mainly because I didn't want to. "I don't know, honestly. He's very attractive. He can be charming and romantic. He talks like he wants to protect me from my own problems."

"I feel another 'but' coming on."

"It's nothing specific, Holly!" I rolled my eyes. "I just don't know if I can take him _that_ seriously."

"What, you mean how he's always in the spotlight?" Veronique came out of her dressing room in her normal clothes.

"Yeah, there's that… but that's not the only issue."

She hung the clothes she'd tried out on a rack by the door and grumbled, "what a bust," before coming to sit next to me. "Well, you know he's into you, right?"

I shrugged. "Sure."

"So what's the problem, again?" She gave me an incredulous look.

"Well, for one thing, I'm afraid he thinks we have a common bond because of the… stuff… that we both deal with."

"Well that's not the _only_ reason he likes you!" She placed a hand on my shoulder to lean over me and smooth Annabelle's hair.

"Look, the ways we both deal with that shit are in two different universes. I just don't think that is something that can be reconciled long-term."

Veronique cocked her head as she studied me. "Because of your beliefs?"

_Exactly…_ I decided to give a less-bitchy explanation. "More like I know better than to tease it, and he doesn't. That will cause major problems – especially if we are emotionally tied to each other – because it will be able to do even more damage."

Well, maybe not less _bitchy_. Definitely a lot less to explain, though. She chewed on that for a moment, looked at Holly's dressing room, then whispered to me, "Like how Aaron's divorce went down?"

I lowered my volume to match hers. "I would assume so. He hasn't told me the whole story, but yeah I guess."

"That's not exactly true," Holly said, coming out of the dressing room. _Busted_. "He and his ex were having the same nightmares and something was terrorizing her whenever he was out on the road, but that wasn't the only reason they got a divorce."

"You know the whole story, don't you?"

She smirked. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. I'm big enough to keep secrets sometimes, Desiree."

Veronique smiled at her. I just laughed. "Time to you get you drunk."

"Bite me."

We left there and hiked to Nordstrom. We piled our arms full of clothes and Veronique and I stuffed ourselves into dressing rooms. Holly said she wanted to save her cash for some slutty shoes, so she opted out of Nordstrom's clothing and won babysitting duty.

I found a bright red ruched dress shirt that fit me perfectly... and it was under fifty dollars. _Okay, I can do that._ I also found a brownish black patched leather mini skirt that I was a fan of, but wasn't sure if it would be worth it.

I've never worn a lot of earthy tones because of my mother's Spanish genetics. Olive skin and earth tones have to be carefully matched. I stepped out of the dressing room and gave a twirl for Holly, who was sitting on a bench working over a coloring book with Annabelle.

"Whatcha think?"

Holly winked at me. "I think the Hulk doesn't stand a chance."

I rolled my eyes. _That wasn't exactly what I meant._

"Now you just need some killer shoes to go with it."

I looked down at the brown in the skirt. "I can't wear black heels with this."

"And?"

"I wanted to buy a pair of black pumps today."

Now it was Holly's turn to roll her eyes. "All of the high heels you own are black, woman… and most of your clothing, for that matter."

I shrugged. "So what? It goes with everything."

"Not with that skirt, it doesn't."

"She just does it to match Zak!" Veronique teased and poked her head out of her dressing room. "DAMN, Des!"

I turned and looked at her. "Get over the Zak stuff, already! Did you find anything worth buying?"

She stepped out from around the dressing room door and twirled. She looked like a dark angel. Her blonde hair was wavy today, and she was wearing a black silk mini dress with thin straps, and sewn across the top seam and over one shoulder was black sheer fabric that dropped past the silk layer of the dress, with diagonal edges and white silk trim at the bottom… Almost like a pancho.

It looked amazing on her.

Holly laughed. "Sorry, Desiree, she wins."

We changed back into our normal clothes and began to head towards the register, when I nearly fainted from checking the tag on my skirt.

"This thing is almost $300!" I slumped. "I'll meet you guys at the register." I turned to return it to a rack.

Veronique yanked it out of my hand. "You're wearing this skirt."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What are you doing, Veronique?"

She grinned and winked. "My treat."

I frowned. "It's almost too cold out to wear the damn thing, anyway."

"Don't you have like $400 saved up to blow on clothes?"

"Well yeah. '_Clothes_!' Emphasis on plural. That doesn't mean I blow all that dough on one outfit!"

Veronique smiled and pointed to a sale sign. "Actually, it's only $150. But… I'm still buying it. You go buy a pair of shoes to make the outfit, okay?"

I was _not_ okay with it. It made me feel like I was being opportunistic and shady.

I've never been okay with being given things, really. I mean, we all love free stuff… But I was raised that you get what you've earned – no hand-outs or freebies. Just being "given" a piece of clothing—that costs just under my car's monthly allowance—makes me instinctively shy away.

Despite the sour look on my face, Holly was already pulling me back out into the mall. I relented, but patted a hand on Veronique's back as Holly transferred one of her shopping bags to me. "I'll make good on it, V…"

"No worries," she said. "Oh and by the way…" She stopped and turned to face me. "You really shouldn't write off Zak just yet. He's not as shallow as he comes across publicly."

I gave her a wistful smile. _If only that was my biggest problem._

"Meet you at Aldo," Holly said to her and we pushed back out into the crush of people in the mall atrium. We went up an escalator and found our ultimate shoe store. Thank God for Aldo. If there was one thing Holly and I have in common… we both have a weakness for slutty shoes.

I found a 5-inch peep-toed heel that was leopard printed satin, and they were on clearance. _Mine!_

"Okay, I'm getting these," I said to Holly as she strutted in front of a mirror. She was sporting pair of multi-patterned pumps with royal blue, yellow, orange, and black suede patches, then bands of black and white sequined patterns.

"And what else?" She looked over her shoulder at me, then turned her attention back to the mirror and prissed some more.

"Why do I need something else?"

She stepped out of the shoes and reached into our Nordstrom bag, pulling out my red shirt. "You need to match this."

"Red and leopard print can go together."

"Not with a brown skirt! You need red shoes."

"Damnit. Thanks, _Mom_." _So much for the subtle breed of sexy._ I'm not saying that leopard print is exactly subtle, but still… red heels? Not just "red" …but "RED!" heels? I mumbled some obscenities under my breath and began scanning the walls again.

I finally found a sleek 7-inch RED! vinyl heel that matched the damned top perfectly. I held them out for Holly, and she nodded in approval. I shucked off my flats again and stepped into the ridiculous shoes, and I took a couple steps in front of a mirror for a moment to make sure I could walk without killing myself.

They were like stilts.

As I sat down to take them back off, Veronique and Annabelle joined us. She and Holly twittered on about nonsense while I held Annabelle, who was starting to get a little sleepy.

Veronique came and sat down across from me with a couple of shoeboxes in her arms. "So what do you girls have planned for tonight?" She slipped on a pair of taupe satin heels and twisted her heel back and forth to inspect them in the bench's mirror.

I shrugged.

Holly sat down next to me and scooped Annabelle out of my arms, into her lap. "I think we should go out on the town in our new threads."

I looked at her. _Threads?_ Where are you from, woman?

Veronique smiled. "Nick wants to take me out tonight but it's too late to call a sitter, plus I don't think he'll be able to de-grease his hands for at least a week."

I laughed. "I've got some soap that'll take the skin off of a crocodile, I'll bring it over next time for him."

She laughed, "It's that good, huh?"

I held up my hands. Clean nails. "I changed my oil last night."

Holly rolled her eyes. "True story. Then again she does change her oil almost twice a month, so it never really has the chance to get dirty."

I punched her in the shoulder. She raised a high heeled shoe as if to stab me with the heel, but we wilted as the store's manager shot a severe look in our direction.

Veronique settled on a pair of 4-inch heels that had a silver metal heel, red flowers around the back of the foot, with the rest of the shoe covered in black suede and white satin patches.

I helped her pick up her various things as we headed towards the checkout. "V, if you and Nick ever need a babysitter, usually at least one of us is a homebody on any given night, so we'd be glad to watch her. Besides, I owe you for that fucking skirt."

"Speak for yourself, party pooper."

Veronique gave me a sideways hug. "That's very sweet of you, I'll let Nick know."

We checked out and continued to wander the upper levels of the mall. I ran into GameStop to snag the newest Call of Duty, and Holly dragged me out before I could find anything else I "needed."

_Jerk._

"Let's go grab something to eat and try to build up a second wind." Veronique glanced down at Annabelle, who was obviously tired of being in the stroller, and released a worn-out-mother's sigh.

"Good idea. I'm starving."

I wasn't hungry. "Let me take her for a bit, do you mind?"

She shrugged. "Sure. Call if you need rescuing."

I had managed to stay under budget (thanks to Veronique) and so while the women headed in search of food, I took Annabelle to Build-A-Bear. She picked up a tie-dyed bunny rabbit stuffed animal and I helped her through the whole process, from filling the toy to picking out clothing for it. Even though the thing was as big as her, she insisted on holding it on our way out of the store.

We met up with her mother and Holly upstairs at Chipotle.

"Hey ladies, check out what Annabelle's got!" Annabelle beamed as she squeezed the rabbit in a sleeper hold. I handed Veronique the registration card for the toy and winked. "There's a website where you can go overboard in the whole personalization thing on the rabbit. It's a bit ridiculous."

She smiled and took it from me, then scooped up Annabelle and the rabbit in her arms. "Thanks, Desi." She looked at Annabelle. "Look at what you've got! What's her name?"

I started to interject that we hadn't named the toy yet, but Annabelle cooed, "Ree-Ree!" Veronique winked at me.

_Shit._

Holly laughed. "See? _Ray-Ray_ is a perfect nickname for you… and apparently also for a psychedelic rodent."

I wadded up a napkin and tossed it at her head.

Veronique strapped Annabelle back into her stroller, despite her fussing. "So… we should probably get going soon."

"What happened to your second wind?"

She jerked her head towards the other side of the atrium. Apparently school was just getting out, because there were tons of teenagers pouring into the mall.

I don't know if you've ever been around fifteen and sixteen year olds but… they're dumb. Arrogant, hormonal, and annoying to share shopping space with.

"Point taken." I snitched a piece of chicken from Holly's burrito bowl.

"Hey!"

I grinned. "You said we have to go. I'm hungry, so you're sharing."

We quickly finished our food and trekked the long walk out of the mall and back out to Holly's car, parked all the way out in a sparsely populated edge of the lot.

"Holly, I love you, but couldn't you have used valet parking?"

"Nobody drives this car but me." She popped me on the back of my head, "You should know better than that."

Veronique laughed. "I don't get it," she waved towards the 3's primered hull, now creeping into view. "It's not like it's the prettiest thing around."

Holly shot her a look. I shrugged and giggled. "Yeah, but it will be."

When we got back to Nick and Veronique's house, their garage door was closed. Veronique gathered up Annabelle, who was sound asleep, and stepped out of the car. I fought with the seatbelts in the back to release her car seat, and Holly gathered the shopping bags from out of the trunk.

We filed inside the house and Holly dumped the various bags on a dining room table. I dropped the car seat there in the foyer. We sat quietly as Veronique put the baby down in her nursery. When she came out she checked the garage.

"I guess they took it for a test drive." She sighed, "I'll shoot Nick a text and see what he wants to do tonight… either way, I'll keep you girls in the loop." She gave each of us a hug. "Thanks, I needed to get out today."

I smiled. "No problem, you're welcome to use us as an escape any time." I nudged Holly. "Let's get out of her hair, though."

"No! Wait!" Holly started pulling me towards a guest bedroom. "Put on your new outfit!"

"The fuck?" I rolled my eyes as she shoved me into the room with my clothing bags and slammed the door on me. "We're playing dress-up now? What the hell is your problem, Holly?"

She just giggled. I sighed and began to change. I slipped off my jeans and pulled off my t-shirt. I wiggled into the skirt and pulled the top over my head. I shucked off my converse and stepped into the high heels, then fluffed my hair.

"Drumroll, please," I called through the door before stepping out of the room. Both Veronique's and Holly's jaws dropped.

"Holy fuck, woman." Holly said. Veronique imitated a cat-call.

"Gee, thanks." I rolled my eyes and turned to change back into my normal clothes.

"Nuh uh!" Holly said, snagging my elbow. She stuffed my clothes into the bags and winked at me. "You look too good to take that shit off."

"What the fuck is your deal today, Holly? Do you realize what temperature it is outside?"

She gave me a swat on my ass as we gathered up our shopping bags. "You're hot shit, Ray-Ray!"

I pulled on my not-nearly-as-sexy jacket and hugged Veronique goodbye.

As we drove home, Holly gave me a sideways look. "So you really don't want to go out tonight?"

"Nope."

She sighed. "Why not?"

I really just wasn't feeling social. "I'm tired."

"Whatever. I bet I can talk you into changing your mind."

I hate when she does this. She gets intolerable.


	24. Hooker Shoes and Hot Cars

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XXIII – Hooker Shoes and Hot Cars**

We pulled up to the condo and I saw a tall man leaning up against a black coupe in our driveway. My eyes grew wide.

It was Zak.

He was lounging against his car and watching us pull up with a smirk on his face. He crossed his arms against his grease-riddled shirt and cocked his head at us.

Oh _man_ he looked sexy… in a rugged Brad Pitt kind of way. His hair was mussed from wearing a ball-cap earlier, and his white shirt was fitting in all the right places.

I tried to hide by pulling the shopping bags from the backseat and piling them on top of me. Holly smacked the back of my head. "Come on, woman, you look fiiiiiine."

"That's the point," I muttered. I was not looking forward to his reaction. I looked like a Jersey whore.

Holly threw the emergency brake and turned off the car. She yanked the shopping bags from my hands and gave me a push on my shoulder. "Out!"

I growled at her and opened up the car door. I put one foot on the ground, then I just sat there for a moment, breathing slowly. _How am I going to make it past Zak in this fucking skirt?_

Zak saw the red shoe peek out from under the car door and his eyebrows rose. He uncrossed his arms and began walking towards us.

_Shit! _I swung my purse off of my shoulder and held it in front of my legs as I stepped out of the car. "Hey, Hulk!" I waved and acted as nonchalantly as possible, but he had stopped dead in his tracks. I blushed and, keeping my large purse between him and a clear shot of my legs, I ran past him into the house.

I rushed to the bathroom in my room. I turned to face myself in the mirror and did another once-over of the outfit. It honestly wasn't bad, but there was half an inch of scar-line that you could see at the bottom of the skirt. I sighed, wishing I had noticed that in the dressing room. I began to rummage through the makeup drawers in my bathroom.

I applied a small amount of Neutrogena to the visible scar. It didn't quite conceal it, but it made it less noticeable… as usual. I washed my hands and spun around, but ran into a massive bulk. I yelped in surprise.

Zak was leaning a heavy right shoulder in the doorframe, thumbs jammed into his pockets.

"How do you sneak up on me like that?"

He locked eyes with me and then slowly let his eyes search downward, absorbing every curve, every detail. I remained frozen until he was satisfied and broke the spell with a laugh, "Nice hooker shoes, doll."

I gave him a searing glare. "I need to put some clothes on, if you don't mind."

He put his left hand on the doorframe, blocking my exit. "Oh I wouldn't dream of it," he said, in such a soft sensual tone that I felt myself break a sweat.

_Oh no…_

He took a step into my bathroom, forcing me to take a step back towards my vanity counter to keep him from colliding with me. I swallowed hard. He just smiled gently, his eyes burning into me. He reached out and took my hand, taking another step forward. I reacted with another step back, feeling the bare backs of my legs come into contact with cool marble.

I leaped into intervention-mode, turning his hand over and inspecting it closely. His hand was still stained, with grease and dirt under his nails. "You didn't wash your hands very well. I've got some stuff that will help." I reached out to open my bathroom closet but his right hand pushed the door closed before I could open it more than a couple inches. I looked back up at his face, frustrated at him thwarting my rabbit trail.

"Distracting me won't work, Des." He took another step forward and his hips came into contact with mine. I leaned my upper torso back in avoidance, almost sitting on the vanity.

"It was worth a shot."

He smiled and reached out, fingering a lock of curls that had fallen down over my face. He ran the back of his knuckles down my cheekbone and my neck, slowly trailing them down my chest and stomach. Out of reflex, I sucked in a gulp of air and held my breath.

His touch was light, as though he wanted the purest read on the fabrics and textures. He continued until he got to my skirt, and he took the bottom hem of it between two fingers, rubbing them together slowly against my leg.

"Buddy, this outfit cost more than your haircut. If you get grease on it…"

He lifted his head back up from his examination and smiled at me. "I'm sure you can talk me into replacing it."

My heart was now at its' maximum speed, and it was starting to make me feel faint. "Zak, really. I don't want you getting car goo on my new clothes."

His eyes melted from their blue to a seductive green. "Well maybe you should take them off, then."

_Shittttt…_

He leaned in and nuzzled me with the tip of his nose, brushing his lips over my nose, my chin. His arms slowly began to circle me, pulling me to him gently. I closed my eyes as his lips grazed mine and he breathed in deeply, holding me captive in this moment, waiting for me to take the initiative and break the spell. _Oh, come on._ What harm will come from giving this man a kiss?

_Who was I kidding?_

This was not gonna be "just a kiss." I knew exactly what kind of harm would come of me giving in to this man, but my hormones and the heat between my legs talked me out of my good senses.

I closed my eyes and locked my lips with his. I poured every ounce of the lust I was feeling into that kiss. He gasped and pulled me closer as my arms wrapped urgently around his neck. He placed his massive hands on my sides, then moved them underneath my shirt in the same spot.

"Wouldn't want your new outfit to get dirty that fast," he murmured into my mouth, his short fingernails gently prickling as he clutched at me. He pulled my torso away from the counter and up against him.

I used my nose to push his face to the side and I began worshipping his neck with my mouth. He groaned and I pulled on him so that I was back up against the vanity. I needed to be leaning on something solid. The whole room was spinning. He responded by moving his hands down just past my hips and lifting me up, setting my ass on the counter.

I shivered as he pressed towards me again and placed his hands on my knees, hinting at pulling my legs apart. I wanted to give in so badly but I just couldn't. I turned both of my knees to one side so our upper bodies could be in contact again.

This move changed the dynamics instantly. I could feel him mentally change gears and slow down the ferocity of his mouth on me. I wrapped my arms around his waist and gave him a softer kiss to end the make-out session. He returned the kiss and then pulled back. "Back to reality?"

"Afraid so, Hulk." I nuzzled his neck. I felt him deflate and he closed his eyes. His hands softly caressed from my shoulders to my hips, but in a more affectionate than sexual way.

"So what are you doing here?"

He scooped me up and set me down in the middle of my bedroom. I landed heavily on my feet, still a bit dazed and unused to my new shoes.

"I just wanted to see what you were doing tonight."

"Holly invited you over, didn't she?"

He smirked. "Well, yeah."

_Damnit, Holly._

"Nick and V have invited us over for dinner. Aaron and Holly are invited, too."

"Do I _have_ to wear this?"

He winked at me. "Please?"

I sighed. I stepped out of the high heels and went to my closet. "Sorry, you aren't that lucky today." I grabbed a pair of dark jeans and stepped into them, _then_ pulled my skirt off. "It's too cold for a sane person to walk around with bare legs." I pulled out my shiny red ballet flats and slipped them on.

We returned to the living room and Holly winked at Zak. "Did you like her new outfit?"

He laughed. "Nah, it sucked." I blushed and sighed as Holly sent me a triumphant, knowing look.

_Bitch._

She pecked me on the cheek and shut Sadie into her cage. "Ready to go when ya'll are."

* * * * * * _[9PM]_

I was stuffed. The guys had gone all out with Nick's new grill; peppers, corn, steak, chicken, asparagus, zuchhini, porkchops… everything you can think of. Veronique joked that they were getting their cooking for the week done. I almost believed her—there was way too much food for just the six of us.

Holly, Veronique, and I were all sitting in the living room, talking and watching Annabelle play. Holly was kind enough to make some killer mojitos for us so we didn't want to take part in the chilly Bud-Light fest out on the patio.

The guys came in after an hour of clowning around outside. Zak's cold hands gave my shoulders a brief squeeze as they all filed past us into Nick's office just off of the den. From their conversations, it sounded like they were doing homework on a location.

Suddenly, I had a thought pop into my head. "You know, my great uncle owns a bar that is reportedly haunted," I said to Veronique.

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, the last time I went to visit them my aunt told me all about it."

"What kind of stuff is going on there?" asked Zak. He, Nick, and Aaron were all standing in the office doorway, looking at me expectantly.

_Fuck._ _I really need to work on my volume control!_ I sighed. "They're seeing apparitions, their staff complains about things going missing or getting touched. If ya'll are needing another location, I can send him an email."

"That's great! Have him email Nick if he's interested."

I looked at Veronique and sighed. She grinned at me. "So much for playing Switzerland on the ghost-hunting, huh?"

"No need to chase pipe dreams." I really wasn't expecting much out of it, so I felt it was a safe contribution. Plus it might earn me a few Brownie points.

When Holly and I got home, I was more than exhausted. I shucked off my shoes and replaced my clothes with an extra large _Batman_ shirt. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I went to Holly's bedroom and knocked on the doorframe.

"What is it?" I heard her voice from her bathroom. I walked in and sat on her vanity while she applied lotion to her face.

"Are you coming with me tomorrow?"

She eyeballed me. "My 3 isn't show-worthy, yet."

"You don't have to bring your baby to go."

She shook her head. "No, thanks. I've got better shit to do on a Saturday morning."

I gave her a gentle shove. "Like what?"

"Sleep."

I laughed and patted her back as I made my way out of her bathroom. "Fine. Goodnight, girl." Returning to my room, I closed the door and crawled into bed, patting the spot next to me for Sadie. She jumped up and curled up next to me, giving my nose a small lick.

I had a big day tomorrow, and I was so nervous I could hardly stand it. It was hours before I finally fell asleep.

* * * * * * _[5AM]_

My alarm blared Family Force Five's _Wake Up the Dead_. I rolled Sadie off the bed and put on a pair of sweatpants. We took a quick run around the complex, then I changed into camouflage cargo pants and a black t-shirt with a "Last Tuesday" band logo on it. I laced up my red worn-out converse, worked some wax gunk through my hair, and put my makeup bag in my purse. Shrugging on my Stars hoodie, I was out the door by 5:30.

I pulled into the first bay at a self-car-wash place less than a mile from the condo. I did a couple dollars worth of wash and rinse, then worked a spray-and-wipe wax over the car, finishing just as the sun was coming up. I did a quick once-over treatment on the tires and wiped the interior down quickly, then hopped in the car and headed towards the Hooters restaurant on the other side of town.

There is a car show today. The company that runs the show usually uses restaurants or car dealerships as hosts, and today is no different. I pulled up next to a 1978 Firebird and sighed. I love my car, but there's just something about American muscle…

Most of the entries apparently felt the same way. I am used to the Dallas shows, where there are several Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and various other exotic cars that will make their appearances, but this show seemed to cater to the more conventional tastes. My car was one of four imports at the show. There was a 60's MG convertible and an older model Porsche that showed up, plus a brand new BMW M3 looking sexy yet completely out-of-place. I popped my hood to match others in my row and walked to the booth set outside the restaurant to enter my Rex.

I was posting my "entry card" on my window when I heard a familiar rumble. Almost like an eighteen wheeler; the thick guttural sounds of an old engine with the low spooling whistle of a turbo-charger. I looked up to see a jet-black Mustang SVO pull in next to me.

_Oh, YUM._

It was a mid-to-late '80's foxbody with an off-center hood-scoop, side skirts, and a bi-wing spoiler. All stock. This car was only made for a couple years… Mainly because it has a four-cylinder turbo charged engine – and it cost five grand more than the GT back when it was new. The first car I ever worked on was exactly like this car. It was what turned me into a gearhead.

The engine cut and a tall man got out. He had black spiky hair and his skin was a shade lighter than mine. He opened the car's hood and turned to see me gawking.

He smiled a perfect smile at me. "Like it?" He asked, with a distinct Latino accent.

"Hell yes, I haven't seen one of these in years." I dropped to my knees and looked under the car. "What exhaust do you have on her?"

He laughed. "Nothing, actually. Just a straight pipe."

I stood back up and grinned, dusting off my knees. "I like your style."

He offered a hand. "I'm Luis."

"Desiree."

"I'll be back, I need to get registered." His hazel eyes lingered on me for just a second longer than what was probably appropriate, then he turned and headed towards the restaurant.

I walked over to the SVO to inspect the engine bay. It was spotless. It even had the original aluminum-weave hose covers. That's extremely rare.

I returned to my car and pulled a Monster out of my bag. _Gonna be a good day._

My phone buzzed. It was Zak. [_Hey beautiful_]

I smiled. [_What are you doing up so early?_]

[_Early? I havnt slept yet. Been up all nite doin research_]

Wow. Dedicated guy. [_That sucks_]

[_wrud_]

At this point Luis had returned to his car and was now leaning against it, watching me. Not in a creepy way, but it was definitely unnerving.

[_I'm at a car show today._]

"What's up?" I said to Luis. I might as well acknowledge his attention.

He didn't answer, but he walked over to the front of my car and began inspecting the engine bay carefully. "I haven't seen one of these in forever."

I smiled and walked over to stand next to him. "Yeah it took a lot of work to keep her purring."

He nodded. "I understand that."

He walked around my car and pointed at the small Texas flag sticker on a back window. "You're from Texas?"

"Yeah, just moved here a couple months ago. Where are you from?"

He grinned. "Spain. My dad moved us here when I was three."

_Sweet._ "My mom's father moved here from Spain in his 20's."

His eyes gave me an intrigued look. "Small world." He began to say something else, but we were interrupted from our conversation as a couple people walked by my car. One man stopped to ask me why the engine block was so small.

"Well there are only really just a few moving parts in the entire engine; there is rotor one's housing and there is rotor two's housing," I pointed.

He scratched his head and walked off, muttering about "damned foreign cars."

I love how the rotary engine can throw off a lot of car guys.

My phone buzzed again. [_How many old men have u pissed off yet_] I laughed out loud. Zak the Mind-Reader.

[_Just 3 so far :)_]

[_Thats it? Step up ur game, woman_]

I giggled and put my phone back in my pocket. Only then did I realize Luis was standing right next to me. I sidestepped a bit and then turned to face him. _Tact is not your strong suit, is it?_

He smiled at me. "Let's go check out the other cars."

I nodded and we began to wander up and down the rows of automobiles. There were a lot of classics, and the newer ones were heavily modified. We continued small talk, every once in a while asking questions of the car owners about their cars.


	25. Trophies, Hockey, and Irish Coffee

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XXIV – Trophies, Hockey, and Irish Coffee**

Three hours into the car show, a megaphone broke the dull roar of the people milling about the parking lot. "We are ready to hand out awards!"

Luis and I shrugged to one another, and we walked to the front of the lot where the show booth was. They handed out multiple kinds of awards for originality, modifications, condition, etc. As each car owner came up for their prize, they were given the microphone to give a small speech about their car; the history, the mods, whatever. Finally they began the best-in-class round of trophys.

I was shocked when I heard my name and my car called. The announcer held up a two foot tall trophy. "Desiree McConnell with the nineteen eighty-eight Mazda RX-7 – Best in Import Sport Class!"

I felt myself reeling. I had gone to several car shows back in DFW, but had never won anything. I felt Luis gently prod my shoulder blade with his hand. "Go get em, tiger."

I walked up to the booth and a rotund older man stood there wearing a cheesy smile. He held out the microphone to me. Despite my terrible stage fright, I managed to stammer, "Um… bought the car two years ago, rebuilt the engine and had it ported, replaced the turbo-chargers and increased the boost… That's about it."

"This is a rare car now, isn't it Ms. McConnell?"

I sighed. _Let me go! _"Yes, it's the ten-year anniversary release of the RX-7."

"I noticed a Texas flag sticker on one of your windows…" He left it hanging awkwardly for me to respond.

"Yeah, born and raised Texan, that's me." I faltered at a small laugh. "I just moved here a couple months ago."

He plastered his cheesy grin back on his face and gave me a flamboyant wink. "Well you know what they say about Texas…"

I didn't even answer. I just smiled clumsily at him, raising an eyebrow. He handed me a bag and a trophy and turned to read off the next winner.

I was shaking as I walked back to Luis. "Dammit."

He laughed. "You looked like you'd seen a ghost!"

"I think I pissed myself."

His laughter danced in his eyes. "You are one very interesting girl."

_Jury's still out on that, bro._

I sighed. "I think I'm gonna head out now." I felt my anxiety flaring up and I wasn't interested in dealing with the exit parade of pissed drivers when the show was over.

Luis walked with me back to our cars. I started the engine up and closed the hood. I began to paw through the bag I was given. A T-shirt, some coupons, a couple sponsoring business' cards, a beer coozie…

"Desiree, would you mind if I get your number? We could coordinate meeting up at the next car show."

I looked at him. I rarely ever give out my number at any kind of public event. Ever. I cocked my head and looked at his car. "Only if you let me take the SVO out for a test drive sometime."

He flashed a perfect smile. "Deal."

I wrote my number down on one of the business cards and handed it to him. He stood there uneasily, like he was trying to figure out how to get a hug out of the deal. I opened my car door and offered him a hand. "It was nice to meet you, Luis."

He squeezed my hand. "I assure you, Desiree, the pleasure is all mine." He raised my hand to his face and pressed a quick kiss on the back of it. I blushed and quickly sat down in my car. I gave him an overly cheesy smile and threw the car in gear.

"I'll talk to you soon."

He nodded and waved as I squealed out of the lot.

That wasn't weird at all. _Ugh_.

I started to drive back to the condo, but I wasn't actually in the mood for being a couch potato. Instead I drove around aimlessly. It had been too long since I had taken this car on a cruise. I eventually found a hole-in-the-wall bar and pulled up in front of it. _Beer sounds good._

Screwballs is an old grungy sports bar, obviously missing out on the flashy Vegas charm. I'm sure the tourists would be unimpressed, but it worked perfectly for me. When I go to a bar alone, I'm usually just going to be by myself. I don't need the flashy entertainment, and I don't need to be social with the people around me. I can just sit and chill.

I chose a spot at the end of the bar and sat down. The bartender – a rough, tattooed, balding man – came over to me and leaned heavily on his hands across the bar. "Whatcha drinkin'?"

I smiled at him. "Whatcha got on tap?" He grunted and waved his hand over at the line of bar taps on the wall_. Mighty fine service, here._ I scanned over the handles, looking for something familiar.

_Bingo._ "Guinness." He poured me a pint.

About three pints later I ordered a calzone to counter the alcohol. Another pint after that, I had finished wolfing down the cheesy goodness and was ready to head home. I paid my tab and handed the bartender a generous tip. "Thanks, dude."

He grunted in response. I grinned and held back a laugh; _my bartender is a caveman_. Whatever, that works for me.

I drove home slowly. I wasn't drunk, but I was definitely buzzed. I set my trophy on the top of my bookshelf and crashed on my bed, sighing. I pulled out my phone [_Hey, Zak._]

[_Hi doll_]

[_I won a trophy today._] I took a picture with my phone's camera and sent it to him.

[_Thats badass!_]

[_What are you up to today?_]

[_Just woke up, packing for our trip_]

I raised my eyebrows. [_Trip?_]

_RING!_ I jumped, my phone nearly flying out of my hand.

Zak giggled over the phone. "Nick and Aaron and I _do_ have a show to do, ya know."

"Oh, yeah."

"We're going to Kentucky."

I felt a shiver run from the back of my head down my spine. "You aren't going back to Mackey's, are you?!"

I heard him breathe out heavily. "Hell no. We're going to an old mansion that was used as a field hospital during the civil war."

"That actually sounds cool."

"Yeah?" I could hear his smile.

"I've always liked history. I like the research about old cultures, especially if it's something that affected how we live today."

"Me too."

"So we're both awesome, then?" I climbed off the bed and headed to the kitchen to hunt for something to snack on.

"Mm-hmm." I heard a dog barking in the background. "Gracie! Chill out!"

"Despite the scary stuff in your job, I think it's really awesome how you get to travel to so many different places."

He was silent for a moment, then, "You could come along with us sometime if you want."

I gasped. "I do NOT want to go to a lockdown with you!"

He laughed. "No, no, not a lockdown. But you can travel with us and go sightseeing while we work."

"I'll think about it," I said, selecting a stem of grapes from the refrigerator. For me to come along when they travel for the show… I think it sounds too much like Zak and I are an official item, and I'm not really sure if I am willing to play that card just yet.

After we got off the phone, I took Sadie out for a walk. Some kids were out in the street that our driveway feeds into, playing street hockey.

I grinned as I passed them. "What's good, guys?"

A little shit named Cody skidded to a stop in front of me. "Hi, Desiree," he blushed and subconsciously fingered his mohawk.

Junior high boys are ridiculous.

His older brother Tyler skidded to a stop next to him. "We're short on our team, wanna join us?"

I looked at them, then looked down at Sadie. "Is that okay with you?"

She sat down expectantly, wagging the tip of her tail. I inspected the boys across the street. Mostly seventh and eighth graders. Holly and I have played street hockey with them a couple of times before. I grinned. "Sure. Give me a moment."

After finishing Sadie's quick walk, I jogged her back to the garage and we ran up the stairs into the apartment. I poured more water into her bowl and knocked on Holly's bedroom door.

"What?" She cracked the door open.

"Whatcha doooooin?"

"Jacking off, what do you think?" She opened the door fully. Her room looked like it had exploded.

I laughed. "Cleaning again, huh?"

"Shut up."

"I'm going outside to show up kids in street hockey. You're in charge of Sadie."

She giggled, "Twist an ankle for me, okay?"

I quickly changed into my workout pants and my Dallas Stars hoodie. I returned to the garage, laced up my speed skates, and grabbed my old hockey stick from when I played in high school.

Rolling down the driveway, I secured my hair under my Stars ballcap and joined the kids in the street. "Who's ready to be schooled? Let's go!"

"Are you sure you're ready to be beaten again?" Brandon skidded up behind me, grinning.

I eyeballed him. Holly and I have more or less adopted him as our little brother over the past weeks. He's always coming by after work to have a beer or watch a movie with us, and he always invites us over when he feels like he can cook. Holly thinks that he is secretly gay, but I don't care one way or the other. He's cool as shit, pretty to look at, and can throw down hardcore in street hockey.

"When did _you_ get here, Blue Steel?" I teased him with the nickname Holly and I had chosen, much to his embarrassment.

He smirked and raised an eyebrow at me. "Only when I heard that the Dallas broad was showing up to be humiliated."

"You'd better be glad you're really really ridiculously good-looking." I slammed the driving end of my stick on the concrete. "Let's do this."

"Bring it on!" Tyler passed me the ball and we took off down the street.

After an hour or so I was a wreck. My hair was plastered to my face and neck, my eyeliner was running, and I had some fresh cuts on my elbows and knees from getting checked a couple of times. Of course, Cody, Tyler and I were winning. Four to one against Brandon and two other neighborhood kids that I don't know.

"Come on, Brandon, where's your game?" I dropped the ball and passed it between Brandon's legs to Tyler. Brandon smirked and skated right at me, colliding with my shoulders and sending us both tumbling to the ground.

"You know, bullying isn't the _only_ skill needed for hockey, asshole," I winced and grabbed at my hip. _That's gonna hurt, tomorrow._

He rubbed my head to mess up my already wild hair. "You just bring out the worst in me, Des." He rolled off of me and helped me to my feet.

As soon as I was stable, I immediately racked him and took off down the street where Tyler and one of the other kids were tussling over the ball. Exasperated, Tyler gave it a good whack and – luckily – Cody just happened to be in the ball's path. I skirted around the other kids and turned to face him. "Cody!"

He passed the ball to me and I began a large sweep towards the makeshift goal at the end of the block. The two boys on the other team were right on me, but as I passed in front of the goal, I slowed the ball down and twisted my stick around at the last second. Mid-stride, I knocked the ball between my legs and it shot straight into the goal.

"Game point!" hollered Cody, skipping on his skates over to us. The kids on the other team scowled.

Brandon finally arrived, using me as his brakes. "I didn't think you were good enough for _that_ move."

I batted my eyes. Honestly, I wasn't sure that I still _could_ do that move. I hadn't pulled it off since when I played in high school. "Lucky break or mad skills. I'll let you decide. Anyway, it's time for this old woman to go home."

The four boys immediately began clamoring around Brandon. "Can we come play _Halo_ at your place? Please?"

He laughed, "Check with your parents, first." As the kids ran off, he and I picked up the goals and began to make our way over towards our side of the complex.

"I'm guessing you're the glorified babysitter, now?"

He gave me a playful shove. "Nah. I just have a huge TV and _Xbox Live_. If they stay longer than an hour, know that I'm escaping to your place for a beer."

* * * * * * _[Two weeks later]_

My phone rang while I was wrestling with the washing machine. "Holly, can you get that?"

I heard her pick up the phone. "This is Desiree's phone! She's in my pants right now, so she can't answer. May I ask who's calling?"

I rolled my eyes. _I hope that wasn't anyone from work._

Holly burst out laughing. "Hey, Red! How's the retirement home? …Yeah, _right_! …Sure, she's home. Let me get her for you." She flounced into the laundry room. "It's your great aunt."

I yanked the phone from her hands. "_Retirement home?!_"

She winked and walked back to the living room. I cradled the phone between my cheek and my shoulder. "Hey Barbie-girl."

"Hey sweetheart, how are things going in Las Vegas? Are you a rock star yet?"

I laughed. "No ma'am, I'm on the waiting list, though!"

"Your uncle and I got your email. I just wanted to let you know that we agreed that the publicity could be fun, so I sent an email to the address you gave me."

I straightened up. "Really?"

"Well, yeah."

"Oh… Okay. I didn't think Jerry would go for it."

"Well, he doesn't _exactly_ know what their show is about…"

_Great…_ "You evil, conniving woman!"

She chuckled on the other line. "Don't I know it! I have to go, call me later, Sister."

I stared at my phone. Holly poked her head around the corner. "So, what's the verdict?"

I blinked, still slightly dumbfounded. "They're going to Arkansas."

Holly jumped and clapped. "Awesome! You should go with them!"

_Oh, fuck…_

* * * * * * _[Mid-December]_

Around midnight I pulled off of the I-40 and drove slowly through the streets of Little Rock, Arkansas. Zak had offered to pay for a plane ticket, but I turned him down. I wanted to drive, and I wanted to take my car. Road trips are very relaxing for me… plus I wanted to be able to show off my car to my gear-head cousins if I got a chance. I taxied through the poor, volatile neighborhood and turned onto a street that even in the dark felt so familiar.

A few blocks down, I pulled up to the curb and let the car idle down. From experience, I know that my car is too low to clear the maddening angles of this particular driveway. I peered at the house through the dark. It was built in the fifties; a one-story flat with the white wrought iron accents to the front porch and unique – though ridiculous – brickwork. The windows were either small and dark, or had panels with floral designed stained glass. The front of the house was all but consumed with vines and rosebushes.

I turned off my car and stepped out, stretching my legs. I popped the hatch and pulled out my suitcase and a backpack, then locked all doors, taking my purse and my stereo face with me. I began the careful hike down the steep driveway, trying not to let my suitcase drag on the ground too much. As I reached the steel awning that served as a garage, I saw a light in the kitchen flicker on.

I hadn't even made it up the stairs to the door when it flew open. Jerry stood, blocking the kitchen light, beaming like a child on Christmas morning. He's 83 years old, 5'11" and overweight, with thinning mousy brown hair on his head and a halfway-there Santa Claus beard on his face.

"Desiree!" he whispered loudly. "Glad you made it safe! Get in here, girl."

I let him take my suitcase and my hand as I climbed the steep steps and crossed the threshold and into the kitchen. "I'm sorry I got here so late."

He shook his head. "Not a problem, Sister."

He carried my suitcase and my backpack to a guest bedroom and returned to the kitchen, going straight for the coffee pot. "Do you want some coffee?"

I giggled. "I think I'd prefer hard liquor after that drive."

He raised his eyebrows. "Good point." He winked and walked past me, into a game room that he built onto the house about a decade ago. It has tile floors, couches with an enormous entertainment system, a refrigerator, a pool table… and a full bar.

He made two very strong Irish coffees and returned to the kitchen. "The alcohol in this should offset the caffeine." He put a hand to my shoulders and guided me to the kitchen table. "You look cold, do you need a blanket?"

I smiled and shook my head. "No, I'm fine."

He sat down across from me and took a sip of his coffee. "Barbie and the kids are already in bed, sorry you missed them."

"It's okay, generally old people go to bed pretty early," I said, winking at him. I took a slow drink from my mug and sighed. _Delicious._

He scoffed and took my hand. "Regardless of _why_ you're in town, I'm as honored as always that you've asked to come and stay with us. Were you not offered a hotel?"

"I was. And a flight. But I'd rather spend time with ya'll than an empty hotel room… and I'm hoping I get to see Chase, Taylor, and Adam while I'm in town so I can show off the Rex."

Jerry smiled. "At least they offered."

"Well don't get me wrong, they paid for the gas!"

"I'd hope so. That's a long drive and your car isn't exactly economic."

I took two large gulps of my coffee, letting the warm tingle of the alcohol spread. "Jerry, it's late, you need to get to bed." I set down my coffee mug and wrapped my arms around his shoulders from behind. "Thank you for waiting up for me."

He patted my hands and I let go, allowing him to heave himself out of the chair. "Anytime, Sister." He finished his glass and set the mug in the sink.

I tiptoed down the dark hallway behind him and peeled off at my room. It was a room full of my great-aunt's collection items and it was themed leopard print and dark red. Figurines and marionettes of clowns, angels, and assorted wild cats lined every flat surface in the room. The bed was huge and adorned in a very upscale dark red comforter, with about twenty pillows at the headboard.

I texted my mother and Holly that I had made it safely, undressed, and climbed into the bed, sinking down into the old mattress and blankets by at least a foot.

_Aaahhh…_


	26. Jerry and Barbara

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XXV – Jerry and Barbara**

I awoke to birds singing outside the window. I rolled out of the California King-sized bed and my feet creaked on the cold wooden floor. The scent of coffee and bacon was wafting into my room from the air vents.

I selected a black silk robe from the closet and pulled it over me as I padded down the dark hallway towards the kitchen. My great-uncle was working over the stove, frying enough bacon to feed an army.

"Good morning, Sister," Jerry said, without turning around.

"Morning," I grunted, going straight to the coffee pot. I pulled an oversized coffee mug out of the cabinet and poured myself a cup. "Where's Barbara?" I sniffed the air. The smell of homemade biscuits was escaping from the oven.

Jerry huffed and set some of the bacon to the side to drain. "She's already up at the bar."

I looked at the wall clock in the kitchen. Five am. _Why am I awake? _"They guys aren't showing up until this afternoon!"

He shrugged. "She's always up there this early. She counts the sales and does inventory as soon as the bar closes at 4."

I shook my head. For being in their later years, this odd couple sure runs like they're a hell of a lot younger. I unlocked the screen on my phone as I sat down with my coffee at kitchen table. I had two new text messages. One was from Holly, sent last night around eleven. [_I just waved off the guys at the airport. Ya'll have fun!_]

The other was from Zak at two-thirty in the morning, [_Hey doll! We r safe n sound at our hotel in dtlr. Will see u in the morning._]

I smiled and responded: [_Well you aren't scheduled to meet up with Jerry until 3. Sleep well in ghetto-ville._] Downtown Little Rock is not a place where you want to be out after dark.

Jerry brought biscuits, preserves, and bacon to the table. He sat down heavily next to me and, taking a gulp from his coffee mug, gave me a sideways look. "So why are these boys wantin' to come out and check out Red's?"

I selected a biscuit and brandished my butter knife. "Did Nick not tell you on the phone?"

"Something about a TV show for the Travel Channel."

I laughed. "Jerry, it's a ghost hunting show."

He rolled his eyes. "No wonder Barbie was so excited about it." He put bacon on his plate and reached for the biscuits.

"Are you okay with that?"

He shrugged. "Well I suppose. There is _somethin'_ goin on in that building." He took a bite of bacon and turned to look at me. "These boys ain't gonna bring us any trouble, are they?"

I gave his a reassuring smile. "They're good guys, don't worry."

His bushy eyebrows narrowed. "One of them is sweet on you, huh?"

_I hate how well this man reads me._ I blushed and focused on my food. "I don't know that I would say that."

"Uh-huh." He shook his head and turned his attention back to his breakfast.

After we were done eating I helped Jerry clean the kitchen, then went back to my room. As I dug through my suitcase I looked over the walls, telling of this older couple's dynamic pasts.

Jerry was in the marines as a young man. After World War II, he was awarded two purple hearts and the medal of honor at the age of seventeen, which made up for his lack of a high school diploma when he applied for and eventually became the lead accountant for a very large insurance firm by the time he was in his late twenties. ("glorified bean-counter" as he puts it.) Barbara was a young widow who never made more than minimum wage until she met Jerry when he was in his thirties. She was begging for tips at local diners and selling her paintings at meager costs to charities around town, scrounging for money to keep food on the table.

Jerry gave her the budget to get her degree in art school and to supply her with enough material for her painting. The exchange was for her heart and her hand in marriage. Now she sells portraits and abstracts for thousands of dollars, and after almost fifty years of marriage they are still very much in love with one another. They own a small pool hall and bar in downtown Little Rock called Red's Billiards.

I selected a black v-neck sweater and pale blue skinny jeans that hugged my ass just right. I gathered these, my knee-high boots, and my toiletries, heading to the bathroom for a quick shower.

After my shower I spent fourty-five minutes straightening my spanish-hillbilly curls. I brushed my face over lightly with powder and blush, drew black lines around my eyelids, and played up the mascara. I wet my eyeshadow brush and colored my lids black, using a tissue to blend and smooth the lines. I ran my hands through my hair with anti-frizz serum and gassed myself with hairspray for a finishing touch. I dabbed a dark red gloss on my lips and stood back to give myself a look in Barbara's full length mirror.

_Not bad at all._

I grabbed one of her black berets hanging on the back of the bathroom door, picked up my boots, and headed to the living room. I was immediately bowled over by Howard, Matilda, and Winston. They are the "kids" that Jerry referred to the night before; three massive, fluffy sheepdogs.

When Jerry and Barbara's two children grew up and moved out, they filled their "empty nest" with puppies. Once Jerry retired over a decade ago, he became very involved with charity programs. One of which is animal therapy, for which he puts his dogs through extensive training. Nine-year-old Howard and five-year-old Matilda are well known in the area's hospitals, retirement homes, and hospice care programs.

The two-year-old, Winston, is still a hyper little shit and has yet to graduate obedience school.

I loved on the three monsters, then pulled myself up and brushed off my jeans. I sat down on the couch next to Jerry and began to tug on my boots. He looked me over and shook his head, chuckling.

"You are spending too much time with my bride."

"I haven't even seen her yet!" I grinned at him. "Did Barbara tell you that she bought me these boots last year?"

"She didn't have to tell me. I know your mother would _never_ buy you those."

"I could've bought them myself."

"Yeah, right," he pointed at the label. "You can't afford those."

"True story," I grumbled, zipping up a boot over my left leg and jeans. They were black leather with 6 inch heels and a 1 inch platform, and they hugged my leg all the way up to just below my knees.

I finally got all the way into the shoes and stood up, putting the beret on my head and cocking it forward. I shrugged into my ruched black leather jacket and struck a pose for my uncle. "So?"

Jerry sighed. "You are just like her. You look like you're out to cause a car wreck."

I bent over and kissed the top of his balding head, smoothing his thin hair with my hand. "I'm just heading out to join her."

He stood up and gave me a hug. "Be safe, Sister. Love you."

Twenty minutes later I pulled up in front of Red's Billiards. I fed the meter and looked up at the massive four-story historic building. It feels more like it belongs off of 6th street in Austin than in the questionable streets of downtown Little Rock.

Red's has live local bands come and play every weekend, and they make the best burgers in the state. However, only one level of the building is open to the public. Barbara had a contractor and an army of family, friends, and artists renovate the second floor as a dinner hall for events like wedding receptions and corporate functions. She also planned to develop the third and fourth floor as an extravagant loft apartment for her and Jerry so they could move out of their old, cramped home.

I walked in the door and a large… I mean, GIGANTIC… black man stepped out to block my way. His bulk would make even Zak look puny. _Michael Clarke Duncan, is that you?_

He folded his massive arms across his chest and looked down at me. "Sorry, ma'am, we're closed until eleven am."

I decided to play with him a bit. "Then why was the door unlocked?" I threw out a hip and crossed my arms. He looked down contemptuously at me, muscles bulging. He didn't say anything regarding the unlocked door, just held out a hand the size of a dinner plate, gesturing for me to turn around. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait a few hours."

I laughed and shook his hand, catching him by surprise. "I'm Desiree, Jerry's grand-niece."

His eyes went wide. "Oh, shit!"

I batted my eyes at him. "Is Barbara here?"

He opened his arms wide and gathered me into a grizzly-bear hug. "I didn't even recognize you, girlfriend!"

I giggled. "It's been a while, right.?" I had no idea who he was… but if he remembered me, great.

He smiled a buck-toothed smile. "Sure has, shorty. And yeah, she's in her office." He gave me a flamboyant "ladies first" gesture and I stepped past the security table and into the bar.

I could still smell the sweat, the stale beer, the spilt liquor, the cigarette smoke from the night before. It's a true "dive" bar, but it also has a private club license, allowing them to serve liquor into the wee hours of the morning. They close every morning at four, opening up just seven hours later in time for the lunch-hour drunks.

"Yo, Red! You've got family here for ya!" I heard the bouncer shout over the buzzing still air. He led me past the bar and the pool tables, up onto the postage-stamp stage. He opened a door behind the stage wall, displaying a rickety old staircase.

"Hey, Desiree!" I heard a very heavy country accent float down from the stairs. "C'mon up here! Thank you, Damien."

_Oh yeah, that's his name._ I gave Damien a wink and began to climb up the stairs, hearing every creak and moan of the old wooden steps. I finally arrived in a small loft the size of my bedroom. It had a niche in one corner for a wrap-around desk and a railing separating the staircase from an ancient couch, a couple bookshelves, an antique television and a squat refrigerator.

Barbara was behind her massive oak desk, hidden by piles of paperwork. I walked up and sighed teasingly as I leafed through one of the piles. "You know we have computers now, right?"

She stood up and spread her arms wide. "Computers don't think like I do. Come here, honey!"

Barbara is an older woman of seventy-five, but has the heart of a twenty-five year old… literally. She's had heart replacement surgery and a lap-band, so despite the aging of her skin, she looks and acts more or less like she's my age. She'd had cancer in her left leg years ago, and she lost her leg from the knee down. Her hair never grew back from the treatment, so she now wears a prosthesis and a wig of long, wavy, red hair. She wears hats to keep it from looking too rough when she doesn't have time to mess with it. That being said, today she was wearing a gold beret, a black loose-knit pancho over a gold sweater, black slacks, and dark red leather boots.

I walked over and embraced her. "Ohh! _So_ good to see you again, Desiree," she gushed as she squeezed me tight.

I pulled back and smiled. "I figured I'd get an early start. I'm sure the guys are still asleep."

"Yes, what-his-name…" she rifled through a pile of papers, settling on an email printout. "…Nick. Nick said that they would be getting in very late, so they would contact us around lunch time to confirm our appointment." She sat back down in her chair and motioned to the fridge. "Help yourself. There's diet coke, vodka, and bloody-mary mix."

"Vodka? It's a little early to start drinking, isn't it?"

"You never know, Sister."

I selected a soda and sat down heavily on the couch.

"So… who _are_ these guys?" She put a cigarette in her mouth and fumbled with the lighter a few times before the spark caught. Still exhaling her first drag, she waved her hand and clarified, "I mean, I know _who_ they are, I researched their show after they called us. But how do _you_ know them?"

I sighed. "Holly and I accidentally befriended them at the airport when she came down for a visit when I was still living in Dallas. We ended up all going to a concert together in Austin… and now that I live in Las Vegas, they are in my circle of friends… more or less."

Barbie peeked her head over the paperwork at me. "_Just_ friends?"

I threw my hands up. "Yes! Gosh, you and your husband are relentless!"

"Well we want you to find a good man is all."

I rolled my eyes. "I figured ya'll just need to know who to put on a hit list."

"Well, yeah… that too." She winked at me.

Jerry had involvement in the mob back when he was much younger, and he still has ties to "very scary people." He has had no problem holding that over the heads of potential boyfriends over the years.

"Well what about that Zachary boy? He's very cute!" She fanned her hand across her face and pretended to swoon.

"Yeah…" I couldn't help but blush.

She squealed and stood up, hobbling over to me. "I knew it! Are you seeing him?"

"I guess... Not like we are an official item or anything."

She gave me a smooch on my cheek and turned back to her work, laughing. "Poor bastard."

I wiped her lipstick from my face, laughing, and pulled my Kindle out of my bag. "Shaddup and get your work done."

She flipped me off but swiveled in her chair, picking her pen and calculator back up. I busied myself with reading while she finished her daily calculations and order sheets.

After a while, my phone rang the opening bars of _Real Gone_ and I groaned.

"_Bueno_."

"Desiree, I heard you were in town!"

_Fuck!_

I rolled my eyes. "Crap, it's Gramma," I whispered to Barbara, hand over the microphone.

"Yes ma'am, I am, just for a few days."

"Well you should come have dinner with us tonight!"

Jerry's deceased brother, Maurice, was married to my dad's mom, Thelma. With Maurice gone, Thelma went off the deep end, her selfishness running unchecked. She is the queen of guilt-trips. On the other hand, my mother's mom, Mary, is so relaxed that if I was in town but did not have time to visit, she would be just fine with it.

Not Thelma.

"Gramma, I'm actually in town on business, so I can't guarantee that I'll have time to come and see you." It's not like she's lonely. My father's sister, her kids, and their families all live in the area.

I could taste the sourness in her voice. "Okay, then. Just keep me in the loop if you find the time."

"I will, Gramma. Love you."

I hung up and looked over to see a bitter look on Barbara's face.

When Maurice died, he was very specific in his will about his belongings. Specifically – a hunting lease, his guns, his boat, etc – were to go to Jerry. However, since Thelma saw Jerry and Barbara as heathens for owning a bar, for not going to the Baptist church, and for Jerry's occasional gambling, she set out to make sure that Jerry did not inherit one bit of it.

In the process there were some very angry, degrading words between her and Barbara, and Barbara hasn't quite gotten over it yet. I nodded apologetically to her, acknowledging the internal turmoil

"What a ridiculous old hag," Barbara muttered.

Just then, a Slipknot song began to scream from my phone. "Man…" I looked at the clock, it was only nine am. "What is he doing awake this early?" I hit the speakerphone button and sighed.

"Morning, Hulk."

"Mmm… Good mornin', hot stuff."

_Shit!_ I quickly turned off the speakerphone as Barbara shrieked with laughter. I should've known better.

"Who's that laughing?"

"My great-aunt. She heard you."

"Fuck."

I winked at Barbara. "What are you doing up?"

"I dunno. I'm too pumped about this investigation to sleep. Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Yeah, like four hours ago."

"What the hell?!"

"I'm staying with old people, dude."

He laughed. "Good point. Want to meet up somewhere?"

"Stand by." I looked up at Barbara, still snickering. "When you getting out of here, Barbie?"

"Not until tonight. He wanna take you to lunch?"

"You're so good, it's creepy."

She mockingly brushed at her shoulder, smirking. "You should take him to Thelma's house to see if he's really up to the scary _living_ things on this earth!"

"Don't be a bitch!" I uncovered the microphone. "I'd like to see you. I—"

Barbara grabbed the phone from me. "Hey sweetie, if you boys wanna come on down to the bar, I'll have Angel make some lunch. If not, you're welcome to come collect her whenever you want."

She listened for a moment, then, "Oh no, it's no problem at all."

Another pause.

"Sweetie, she is one hell of a woman. As long as you're good to her, I don't give a damn." She handed the phone back to me, grinning viciously.

I swatted at her as I yanked the phone out of her hand. "Sorry, dude."

"Ask him how many burgers they can eat, and if they want anything other than fries," Barbara said, moving back towards her desk. She flopped down in her chair and began pounding out a number on the old fashioned rotary phone on her desk.

"I heard her, but I'm still in my room. Let me find out what the guys think and I'll hit you back."

_::Click::_

I turned to her. "Really. _Nothing_ is going on between us. You're horrible!"

She winked, her desk phone tucked between her chin and her shoulder. "Of course, Sister." She swiveled in her chair and produced a notepad as whoever she dialed picked up the other end of the line. "Angel! Hey girl, can you get up here a-sap? We have some V-I-P's comin' for an early lunch today."

My phone buzzed. [_We will eat whatever we're given._]

Another hour later, Barbara finally slammed her hands down on her desk in triumph. "Let's go downstairs." She picked up the notepad along with some random loose papers and a sequined binder. She dramatically kicked her chair back under the desk and gave me another kiss as she walked past me.

I turned to follow her and felt a cold breeze blast my back. I whipped around just in time to see a white misty figure disappear into a corner of the wall.

_I guess this place really is haunted._


	27. Red's Billiards

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XXVI – Red's Billiards**

By the time I made it down the stairs, Angel, a round girl with obvious Native American roots, had slapped twelve burgers on the griddle closest to the window. She was now going back and forth with her regular duties; filling the beer sinks with bottles and ice, preparing the mixer bottles, stocking the liquor shelves, and setting crates of clean glasses in cabinets below the bar.

Barbara and I went into a small room, opposite the bar and just by the front door, which was the business' official "office." She booted up a very dusty computer—I think that thing was around before the dinosaurs went extinct—and we began to enter her pages of number-crunching that she had brought down from upstairs.

At ten o'clock, we heard the door to the front of the venue chime and I heard Damien's voice… followed by Nick's.

_Yay!_

"Hey guys—oomph!" I came flying out the office door and nearly bowled over Zak. He caught me in his arms and took it as an opportunity to hug me. "Hey, Doll." He pulled back and looked me over, letting out a low whistle.

"Damn, girl."

I blushed. He smirked and gave me a slow turn, taking me back to our first night out clubbing. The memory still gives me a delicious chill to this day. I finished the twirl and steadied myself with my hands on his shoulders. His eyes were seductively playful and focused on mine. He looked like he was mentally debating leaning in to get a kiss…

"Do you approve of my handiwork? I _am_ the one who set her up with those shoes and that hat." Barbara said, lounging against the doorframe to the office, a shrewd smile on her face.

"Oh… hello!" Zak blushed and quickly backed away from me, as if she were training a gun on him. He ran into Aaron, who tripped over the doorjamb and the two of them toppled over back out onto the sidewalk.

"Three Stooges Day at Red's." I smacked a hand to my forehead.

Barbara let out her loud, cackling laugh and approached Nick. "You must be Nick."

He shook her hand, smirking at me. "Actually I'm Moe, and those two idiots are Larry and Curly. You must be Barbara?"

She gave him a sultry wink and swatted his shoulder. "Oh, please, just call me Red."

By now Zak and Aaron had picked themselves up and made their way back in, standing sheepishly in the doorway. Aaron sniffed the air. "Something smells _good_."

Barbara smiled offered a hand to Aaron. "It's your early lunch, Curly. I'm so glad to meet you boys."

She turned to Zak and eyeballed him. "Especially you, for more than one reason."

After a moment of awkward silence, Aaron barked a laugh. "Since you're related to Desiree I get it, but normally I'd take that as…"

"Shut UP, Aaron," Zak hissed.

Barbara giggled. "Oh, come on, we're all about off-color in here." She waved them over to the bar stools. "Angel just went in the back to get more buns, she'll be right out."

Zak snitched the beret off of my head and put it on Aaron's. "Hey!"

Aaron went with it. He cocked it sideways and began spewing cheesy pick-up lines at Barbara in a horrible French accent.

After three or four miserable attempts, she threw a hand on a hip and gave him a no-you-just-_didn't_ look. "Are you always this fresh?"

"It's the hat, not me!"

"Sweetie-pie, that's _my_ hat."

Zak put a hand to the side of my face and ran his fingers through the bottoms of my locks of hair. "I've never seen you with straight hair before," he whispered, trying to keep Barbara out of earshot

I grinned. "You like it?"

"Yeah, I really do."

Barbara and I went behind the bar as the guys each pulled up barstools. Barbara turned over the burger patties as I set out glasses with ice and began to hunt for the list of soft drinks on tap.

"Ya'll wanna beer or anything? Everything in your names is on the house," Barbara said.

Aaron shook his head. "You got diet?"

"Water for me," said Zak. Nick agreed.

"Wusses," I teased, filling their glasses. I faced Barbara and pointedly took a Fat Tire bottle from the beer sink. "Since you offered…"

She shook her head. "Isn't it too early to drink?" she mocked me.

"Yeah but this is _Fat Tire_!"

"You're going to be an alcoholic one day."

"No, I'll be a drunk. Alcoholics go to meetings."

The guys cracked up at this. I used Barbara's bottle opener to remove the top, lifting the bottle towards them. "Here's to a safe and informative investigation, gentlemen."

"Cheers."

Barbara shrugged and poured herself a shot of non-refrigerated silver tequila and a glass of water. She tapped my bottle with her shot glass and nodded. She took a sip and set the glass down.

She turned to the guys as she picked up her water. "So I know that we aren't supposed to do interviews until three, but since you're already here, I've called Jerry about coming up here early… That is, if that's alright with ya'll."

Nick grinned. "Sounds good to us!"

Aaron jumped up. "I'm going to get my camera."

Nick stood up as well. "We should go ahead and bring in all of our walk-through gear, dude."

"Then come on, G."

Zak started to get up but Barbara put a hand on his arm. "Nick, can you two boys get it done yourselves?"

"Yes ma'am, no problem."

"Good." She turned her hazel eyes on Zak. "You stick with me, Sugar."

Zak gave me a terrified look. I rolled my eyes and shrugged.

She leaned in close to him over the bar, lowering her voice. "So, in an unrelated note, you're interested in my grand-niece."

He blushed and fidgeted. "I am. She's a very cool girl."

I decided to escape to the back room where they store food and drink. I was so embarrassed. _I don't think this is a meet-the-family kind of place._

Angel had her back to me, filling milk crates with various bottles. "I'm comin', I'm comin'! I figured I might as well prep for lunch while I'm back here, Red," she said before turning around. "Oh, shit. I thought you were your aunt."

I grinned and walked over to help her. "Nah, she's grilling a potential boyfriend, so I'm finding something better to do."

"Be careful carrying this stuff in those heels. You could break a fucking ankle."

"Oh, I'm a pro."

I picked up a milk crate of assorted bottles of tequila and set it by the door. She followed and set a crate of vodkas next to it. She grabbed two bags of hamburger buns and handed them to me. "The left griddle should be warm by now, so go ahead and take these out and set them on it face-down."

She did another once over of the inventory, pushing her red-streaked hair out of her eyes and tonguing the ring in her lip. "Just about done back here, except for paper trails. Can you go ahead and take the burgers off while you're at it?"

"Mkay."

I carried out the bags of bread and passed by Barbara, still leaning over the bar and talking quietly with Zak. I set out a bag and a half of buns face-down and began to transfer the meat to a plate.

Barbara laid a hand on my shoulder. "I got this. You start finding out what kinds of fixins they want."

I looked at her, then over to pale-faced Zak. "What did you say to him?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Don't worry Sister, he passed." She smirked and yanked the spatula out of my hand.

I headed back over to Zak and nodded at him over the bar. "Sorry about that." I picked up my beer and took a long pull.

He laughed. "She seems nice. Really..." he coughed and pointed at my beer. "But now… can I get one of those?"

"You guys are about to start filming. You want America to see that?"

"Oh, yeah. Shit." he sulked and took a swig of his water.

I walked over to Barbara, got another glass, and filled it with ice. "I'm giving him a rum and diet so he doesn't have to be filmed drinking."

"No problem."

I put a hand gently on her shoulder. "They're going to be filming for their show. Do you get what that means? We can't talk about me and Zak while their cameras are recording."

"Oh, come on!" She swatted my hand away. "They can always edit that stuff out. But don't worry sweetie, I won't bring it up… that much." She winked.

I poured a double-shot of rum into the glass and filled the rest up with diet coke. As large as the glass was, two shots wouldn't be strong at all.

I brought it back to Zak just as Aaron and Nick came through the door, dragging black cases of electrical equipment. Aaron also had his camera in one hand and his roll of thick black electrical tape in his mouth.

They set the cases out on the far end of the bar and began opening them. They pulled out Nick's camera along with flashlights and several digital recorders. Aaron sat down with the cases and began to stuff batteries into the equipment.

Nick, smiling mischievously, picked up Aaron's camera and pointed it at Zak. "Rolling, Aaron's Vlog at _Red's Billiards_ in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas."

Zak bit back his reaction to his rum and coke and glared at Nick. "You aren't Aaron."

Nick panned quickly over to Aaron. "Yeah, Aaron's busy." He panned it back, then focused on me. "It smells good in here, you guys."

_Shit!_ I quickly lowered my beer out of the shot. "They hand make their burgers here, and they have secret ingredients that they mix into the ground beef. They've actually been recognized for their burgers in a couple major magazines."

I gave Nick the "cut" gesture and lifted my beer. "What do you guys all want on your burgers? They come with ketchup and mayo, the basic works… and then they have cheddar or pepperjack, and you can add..." I dropped my statement, noticing that Nick still had the camera focused on me and Aaron was holding back a smile.

They all looked at each other for a moment. Zak giggled and took another long drink.

Nick shrugged and continued in his announcer voice, giving me a thumbs-up and a wink. "So this is Desiree! This is the fine woman who informed us about this place. Her family actually owns it, isn't that right, Desiree?"

My eyes bugged out and my face went red. _Fuck it._ I toasted to the camera with my beer bottle and nodded. "Yes, my father's uncle and his wife actually own this building."

"You may recognize her from my Vlogs earlier this season, when we went on a Texas road-trip this summer," said Aaron, winking at me.

Angel began to set out the various cheeses and extras for the burgers on a platter, just next to where Aaron was finishing up his work. "Just let us know if you want ketchup or mustard or whatever, and you can pile on whatever else you like."

Aaron took the camera from Nick and focused on the plate. "We've got Cheddar! We've got Pepper Jack! We've got purple onions, jalapenos, and lettuce! We've got mushrooms and tomatoes, and..." He panned over to Angel, who was just putting a package of thick, peppered, center-cut bacon on the griddle as she removed the bread. "Bacon! God, I love bacon. What's you're name, oh angelic bringer of bacon?"

Angel smirked and leaned heavily on the bar at him. "Angel, actually."

"This is surreal."

"Bite me, I'm married."

Barbara laughed and smacked Angel on the ass. "Behave for national television!"

Angel paled. "This isn't local?"

Nick grinned. "Do we _look_ local?"

"Fuck… No, I guess not," Angel blushed and walked back into the stock. "Excuse me, I've gotta finish prepping the bar."

Zak picked up a barstool and lifted it over the bar for Barbara to sit on, then lifted another one over for me.

"So what kind of crowds do you attract with this place?"

I snorted. Barbara waved her arm. "Look around, honey. Draw your own conclusions, and you'll be right." She got up and turned back to the griddle, beginning to turn the bacon.

Zak stood up and motioned to Aaron. "Come on dude, let's check this place out."

Barbara, Nick and I watched while Zak and Aaron walked around the building, pointing out the writing and beer bottle labels covering the walls and the tables. He pointed to various posters and signs talking about them in his "Zak the Investigator" voice.

"You should check out the bathrooms," I called. The bathrooms were half tile, half particleboard, and were only big enough for one person at a time. They had the funniest bits of vandalism on their walls that I had ever seen. Every square inch of the walls was covered in scribbled drawings or messages. Zak nodded and they disappeared down the hallway towards the toilets.

The bell on the front door chimed. Clapping one hand and wrapping the other around Damien's shoulders, he chuckled and walked in, eyeing the film equipment on the bar. "Ya'll got started without me, huh?"

Nick jumped from his seat and shook Jerry's hand firmly. "No sir, we have video blogs online, and we're just rolling a little for that."

Jerry cut his eyes over to me. "Blogs?"

I patted his arm. "Young whippersnapper stuff, Old-Timer. Don't ask."

He shrugged and sat down across from me at the bar, eyeing Zak's drink.

Barbara set a fresh glass in front of him. "That's Zachary's. This is yours." She winked at him. "Extra saucy, as usual, Love."

He took a hard swallow and readjusted the collar of his sport coat. "You must be the young man I spoke to on the phone. Nick, is it?"

"Yes sir."

Just then, Zak and Aaron tumbled out of the women's restroom, which is visible from the bar. Just inside the women's bathroom are two steep steps, leading up to a three by five room that is half full of toilet and sink. Not a lot of breathing room, especially when you stuff two large men into it. Nick doubled over, laughing. "Speaking of the _Three Stooges!_"

The two men saw Jerry and immediately scrambled around, untangling themselves from each other and running up to join us at the bar.

Jerry laughed. "I can't wait to hear this."

Despite Zak's pale face, Aaron just grinned, shrugging. "Vlog material."

"Mm-hmm." He kept his eyes on Zak just long enough to make him feel awkward, then glanced over at me with an almost unperceivable smirk. I gave my great-uncle a look. He had no problem what he just saw, but he was going to play his "scary mob uncle" role for Zak. I giggled. I bet that dynamic will make this vlog episode more than a little interesting.

Zak reached forward and offered his hand to Jerry. "Pleased to meet you sir, my name is Zak."

Jerry hesitated for dramatic effect, then smiled and took Zak's hand in a severe handshake. "Oh, I know. Nice to meet you, too."

I pinched him and whispered, "Quit scaring him!" I saw his shoulders shake as he held back a chuckle.

Nick got out his camera and motioned to Aaron. "How about we get this started?"

Aaron nodded and set his camera down, framing it to where Jerry was in the shot.

"Jerry?" Zak stepped forward to shake his hand. "I'm Zak. Good to meet you. Can you tell us how you came to own this bar?"

Jerry smiled and said nothing, just handed Zak his drink. Zak blushed. "Thank you, sir."

Taking another long swig, Jerry set his own glass down and leaned an elbow on the bar. "Well, my brother Maurice and I originally bought this place twenty years ago. It was originally an old warehouse shop, but had been abandoned for about a year when we looked at it. We initially opened it up as a five-star restaurant on the first floor and a banquet hall on the second floor. We got a lot of good ratings on the restaurant, but due to the location, it didn't draw in enough of a crowd to pay for itself. We never even booked anyone for the second floor during that time."

"Are we in a rougher part of town?"

Jerry laughed. "Oh, hell, yes we are! Anyway, we shut down the restaurant and my bride here," he took Barbara's hand, "had a friend that wanted to open a bar in this area, so we rented it to him for a couple of years."

"What kind of bar was it? I mean, that would make you change it to what it is now? Were there problems, or…"

Jerry lifted his hand and looked at Barbara. Barbara sat down in my stool behind the bar. "It was a gay bar. It really was doing well, but Little Rock had a rise in hate crimes a little over a decade ago, and the business flopped." She shook her head. "Darn shame."

Jerry nodded. "We once again were in a location that was not allowing us to make any profit, so we closed down the building again. We reopened it as a pool hall about thirteen years ago. About 6 years ago we built the stage so more local bands would want to come play, and really we've been doing great ever since. The culture of this bar lies with its patrons; they've created games and contests exclusively for this place that have gotten local and national attention."

"Like what?"

"The bottle toss, for one!" Barbara came around and handed each man a beer, explaining the rules. She pulled an economy sized trash barrel out of a corner and set it out in the middle of the room.

_Oh no…_


	28. Drinking Games and EVP's

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XXVII – Drinking Games and EVP's**

"Aaron, you see where you're standing there? That black line? Patrons take turns seeing who can throw their beer bottle away, whoever misses is out. Last one standing wins." Barbara walked back over to us. "Usually it's a game that goes on all night, since they have to drink their beer before they can take their turn."

Aaron set his bottle on the counter. "I don't drink," he said to Jerry.

Zak shrugged and nodded to Nick. "Let's go a few rounds, shall we?"

Jerry shook his head. "You boys should eat first. Your burgers are done."

The guys crowded the bar and doctored up their burgers. Each one got two, and Angel, Barbara, Jerry and I each got one.

Nick and Aaron took turns on Aaron's camera, so the other could eat. Zak took a bite of his burger, loaded with everything they offered. His eyes bugged out. "Holy shit, this is the best burger I've ever had!"

As we ate, Damien unlocked the front doors and a few people began to trickle in.

Nick wadded the rest of his fries into his mouth and handed his camera to me. "Watch the trash bin when someone is throwing, otherwise watch your aunt and uncle."

_Damn it._ I've never held one of these things before. "I'll try."

I downed the rest of my beer and started on Aaron's, handing the empty bottle to Zak. "Here's a bottle."

Zak had already drained the rest of his. I zoomed in on the lid of the trash barrel while Aaron filmed Zak throwing.

_Thunk._ It went in.

Yes. That is what she said.

"Yeah!" Zak cheered. Barbara handed him another beer while Nick worked on finishing his.

"It's another San Diego saloon challenge, guys," Aaron laughed.

"GAC Bottle Toss!" shouted Zak.

Nick groaned, "Here we go."

* * * * * * _[Two hours later]_

Several rounds into the game, Zak and Nick had been joined by several other patrons. Two of the regulars were already out.

"Alright, Nick, you got this!" Zak said, standing right behind the trash barrel.

Nick aimed and tossed, but at the last second Zak yanked the barrel to the side and the bottle shattered to the ground.

"Damn, bro, that's too bad."

"You moved it!"

"Whatever… you're _out_!" Zak mimicked a baseball referee.

Nick rolled his eyes and flopped down a couple seats away from us. "You good, G?" asked Aaron.

"Yeah dude, I only had four before I missed… because someone cheated."

"Did not!"

I giggled. Jerry and I were sitting side by side at the bar. We had moved their equipment to the loft office as more people began filing in to the bar. I watched Jerry as he studied the men closely. He trusts his wife judgment, but he is much better at reading people than she is. Since he was opening his business to three strangers—not to mention one of them had an interest in his grand-niece—his attention was intense and focused on these men.

We continued watching in amusement as one by one, the rest of the players went out except for Zak and a tall skinny guy that looked like he smoked a little too much from his bong that morning. Barbara had taken to holding Zak by the arms when it wasn't his turn, just to prove that he wasn't cheating again. The patron aimed and his bottle bounced off the back rim and crashed behind the barrel. At this Zak leaped up in the air, arms raised. "Champion!"

The patron laughed and gave Jerry a handshake as he made his way back to his seat. Zak came over to the bar and leaned heavily on his forearms next to me. He looked up at Barbara, now standing across the bar from him. "What did I win?"

She ripped a ticket off of a booklet and handed it to him. "The tab of the game! Congratulations!"

His smile disappeared. "That's the prize? Like, the normal prize?"

She laughed. "Yeah!"

He slid me a wink. "I guess it's good you said our tabs were on the house, yeah?"

She shook her head and pulled a jar out from behind the bar, full of assorted bills and coins. "Actually, usually everyone who plays donates to help the winner cover the tab." She fished out the money and counted it, then snitched the sheet from his hand. "Looks like you… I mean, I… only owe about fifty cents."

Zak blinked.

Aaron laughed, "That's awesome!"

Jerry got up and clapped Zak on the back, almost too hard. "Sometimes the game tab gets up to a hundred dollars or more. Ya'll played a short game."

Taking a gulp of water, Zak sat down next to me and turned to face Jerry and me, leaning to the side to see past me. Jerry grinned, grabbed my arm, and playfully threw me out of the way.

"Hey!" I stumbled into Aaron, but kept my composure. I pouted and took the seat on the other side of my great-uncle. Zak laughed then held a hand out to Jerry, marking the re-start of the interview.

"What kind of stuff have you seen go on here that you would describe as unexplainable, or maybe even paranormal?"

Jerry rolled his eyes a bit but shrugged. "Nothing really here in the bar area that I am aware of. Most of it seems to be upstairs."

Barbara put a hand on his shoulder. "Some of the staff here has mentioned that they've seen people here after we've closed, either over by the stage or back in the stock room. But Jerry's right, most of it happens in areas that aren't open to the public."

"So what kind of stuff is happening?"

"We are seeing a lady in a white dress that will come in and out of the bookshelves and through the walls in the loft. Up in the ballroom there is a couple of figures, one looks like they're wearing basic 20's depression clothing, the other is wearing a tophat. Whenever I do dinner events up there, people will complain that the wait staff will tap them on the shoulder then run off. Some women complain about the backs of their necks being touched or breathed on."

"What about the upper floors?"

Jerry sighed and looked at the floor. "The plan for years has been to remodel the top two floors for Red and I to live in."

"Okay," Zak said, shooting a glance my way.

"We haven't been able to keep a contractor for more than two or three months. We take each of them to court and get most of the money back, but not all of it. They complain of theft of their supplies and pranks being pulled on their workers."

Zak nodded at Nick. "Don't we have one of the contractors set up to interview with us tomorrow?"

"Yeah, dude."

Zak turned to the camera. "One of the things we've come across during several of our investigations is when you try to renovate an area that's been sealed off for a long time, the spirits or entities there have claimed residence of that area. So they tend to act out when you try to change things from what they are used to." He then turned to my great-uncle. "Jerry, if you don't mind, would you take us upstairs and show us around?"

Jerry nodded. "We have a fully functional elevator. I'm too give-out, and my bride is handicapped, so we aren't really able to use the stairs."

Nick smiled. "Aaron, you go with them in the elevator. Zak, Desiree, and I will take the stairs, just to get a better coverage of the place."

Aaron nodded and turned to follow my great-uncle. Nick immediately shut down his camera and began to stock up on batteries. He nudged Zak. "Now's your time with Des, bro."

Zak didn't need to be told twice. He was on me in two steps and wrapped his arms around me. I returned the embrace and kissed him gently. I rubbed the tip of my nose on his. "If Jerry sees you doing this, the authorities will have to drag the river to find your body."

He ran a hand through my hair. "Nothing wrong with being an opportunist." He kissed me again, winked, and let go of me. Taking a digital recorder from Nick, he turned and walked towards the stairwell.

As we opened the heavy doors to the second floor, we saw the beautiful—albeit dusty—room before us. Barbara had sponge painted the walls white/off-white/gold and the ceiling was comprised of large panels of murals; angels and clouds and flying exotic birds. There were six pillars spread evenly in three rows down the hall. They were sponge painted the same as the walls, except they had grey accenting instead of gold. The extravagantly designed trimmings at their bases were each painted to look like gold and wrought iron, with accents in different animal prints. The tables and chairs stacked up against the far wall were basic, but had been customized to look like Victorian iron and marble. There were also recreations of Victorian couches and love seats lined up with the windows along the two longer walls, either black "iron" with ivory silk padding or gold with red silk.

Very intricate… and very expensive. When Barbara sets her mind to a theme, she goes all out. This looked like a whole different universe than downstairs.

I watched as Aaron and Nick slowly panned their cameras around the whole area. "This room looks like it's made out of marble!"

Zak just stood there, mouth dropped, studying the detail of the ceiling. Barbara came up beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "It took about four months to paint the room. Another six months for the furniture, and I actually had been working on these murals for years to donate to a charity house that went under just before I finished them, so we ended up using them on the ceilings."

"You have an amazing talent."

Barbara gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Not just me." She turned and winked at me. I willed myself to become invisible as Zak's wide eyes locked on mine and Nick trained his camera on me.

Defeated, I tried to look encouraging and said, "Yes, I helped with some of the painting, so did a lot of other family members. My job was to paint the designs on the pillars."

Zak smiled at me. "That's awesome."

Jerry pointed down to the end of the hall where the furniture was stacked. "That's where we've seen the man in the top hat."

Zak followed his point and walked slowly around the furniture, Aaron on his tail. Barbara continued to elaborate to Nick on the unexplained things that have happened in this room while Zak and Aaron continued to explore. After about twenty minutes, they returned to us.

"Dude, I'm not feeling anything. Let's go upstairs"

Zak, Nick, and I reached the third floor first. There were beams up to create rooms, and there were stacks of sheetrock and assorted floor tiles leaned up against the walls. Zak didn't get three steps forward before he froze.

"Whoa, dude, what the hell?!"

The elevator door opened and Aaron, Barbara, and Jerry came out. "What's up?" Aaron asked, seeing Zak's face.

"Look at my arms, bro!"

Nick zoomed his camera in on the goosebumps on Zak's forearms. "Holy shit, man."

"Who's here? Aaron, give me one of the digital recorders."

Aaron tossed it to him and he clicked it on. "Is anyone here? Because I can feel you!"

He took a couple more steps and shuddered. "You guys don't feel that?"

We all shook our heads.

"Fuck. It's like it's following me. Who are you? We can hear you if you come and talk into this little red light in my hand," he said, holding up the recorder.

Jerry gave me a look that said "_give me a break_." I shrugged and walked over to Zak. I reached out to touch his arm but jerked my hand back. He was ice-cold.

Zak continued to plead with the air. "Is there a lady in white, here?" He cocked his head to the side, then began to advance further into the room.

"Walking, walking, walking… Holy shit, guys it's still right on me… _oomph_!" He tripped over a pile of boards on the ground and landed hard on his hands and knees, the recorder skidding off the floor.

Aaron snorted. "Falling!"

Zak got his feet under him but before he stood up he jerked his head up and stared wide-eyed behind him, frozen in his crouched position. "Tell me you guys didn't hear that?!"

"Hear what?"

He picked up the recorder and hit playback as he straightened up and turned back towards us.

"_Is there a lady in white here?"_

"…_Desiree…"_

I looked at my aunt, shocked. We continued to listen. There was a lot of banging and scuffling as Zak fell. We heard Aaron laugh and then something gravelly at the same time he said "falling."

"What was that?" asked Barbara.

Nick frowned and took the recorder from Zak. He plugged in his hand-held audio enhancer… toy… thingie… whatever the hell it is. He twisted some dials, then hit replay.

"…_Die in fire…"_

"Die in _fire_?"

We heard Zak fumble with the recorder and then a woman's voice came through, clear as day: "…_Leave while you can…_"

_What the fuck?_

"Wish we had our spirit box, man." Zak grumbled. He turned to the darkness and shouted, "Who said that?"

I grabbed Jerry's hand as we followed him. I was suddenly very uncomfortable. Zak shrugged and turned off the recorder after a few more minutes. "Whatever the hell that was, it backed off. Red, can you tell us what goes on in here?"

She nodded, still paled from the EVP's. "Construction crews will have tools go missing or malfunction, and they told me they heard screaming a couple times while working after dark. When you interview Roger tomorrow, he can fill you in with more details."

Zak nodded. "Okay." He turned to Aaron's camera. "Bro, whatever that was… it was _heavy_. It was hard to walk. I felt like I was trapped in a block of ice."

"Let's go to the fourth floor," said Nick.

Barbara fidgeted. "You guys are welcome to go, but I want to go back downstairs. Now."

We all turned to look at her. Jerry put a reassuring hand at the small of her back. "Go ahead, honey. Maybe Desiree should go with you."

Nick shook his head. "No, we should keep her with us, it said her name. She could be triggering the activity."

Jerry shot him a savage look. "Exactly my point."

Zak put a hand on my shoulder. "What do you want to do?"

I puffed out my chest a little and hooked Jerry's arm with mine. "I'll be safe as long as you come with us."

Nick pointed. "Aaron, will you escort Red back downstairs? We'll be down shortly."

Aaron nodded and he and Barbara returned to the elevator. Jerry gave me a tug. "You're coming with me. After hearing that nonsense, I'm not letting you out of my sight up here."

Zak handed me his little video camera attached to his hip. "Just in case."

I smiled and let Jerry lead me to the elevator while Nick and Zak headed up the stairs.

We rode with Aaron and Barbara in silence down to the first floor. As soon as they exited and the doors shut, Jerry turned to face me. "Why did it call your name?"

"I don't know…"

"The same voice said your name, then said to die in fire. You should not be up there, Sister."

I nodded. "I know, but I told myself I would suck it up for the walk-thru's and interviews." Honestly, I was terrified. It took every ounce of self-control I had to not run screaming from the building.

The elevator door opened to the fourth floor and we stepped out into the room. It was one big room, like the second floor, only it had no pretty paint and décor. It had gray walls and clutter strewn about the corners of the room. Nick and Zak were already walking the perimeter, checking things out.

Jerry went and opened the blinds, one at a time, to let light into the dark room. As light filled it I saw a figure hunch over in the far corner. Nick and Zak were on their way in that direction, but didn't notice it at all.

"Zak!" I called, and broke into a run. He turned to face me, just in time for me to feel hands on my back pushing me down. I face-planted into the concrete.

"Desiree!" Jerry and Zak rushed to me as I sat up, disoriented.

"What happened?"

I shakily gave him a laugh. "These shoes are not made for running." I took Jerry's hands and pulled myself to my feet. I wiped my now bloody nose with my hand and groaned. Zak obviously didn't believe me, but thought better of prying. "Okay, so why were you calling my name?"

I pointed to the corner of the room. "I saw something move."

"We do get rats up here sometimes," Jerry said.

"No it was big, like a person or something."

Zak turned and faced that corner. "Shh," he whispered, slowly pulling his digital recorder out of his pocket. "Des, give me the camera."

I handed it to him and he did a sweep of the corner with the camera. He replayed the footage quickly on the screen, shrugged, then folded it up and hooked it back on his belt.

"I swear to you I saw something there."

He nodded. "Hush." He took my hand and began walking us towards the corner.

"Dude. National television." Nick said from behind us.

"Shit," Zak hissed, dropping my hand.

As soon as he let go I felt a burst of cold wind drop down on me. "Whoa," I said, rubbing my arms. Suddenly, my limbs went numb and I felt like I had a ton of bricks on my back. I crouched down and put one hand on the floor to steady myself. Zak felt the air around me.

"Nick! Get over here!"

"What's wrong, Sister?" Jerry called.

I couldn't even talk. My body was consumed with… the only way I know how to describe it is the immobilizing feeling that one gets when they are peaking on MDMA, without the ecstatic emotions. Tingly and paralyzed, I dropped my head and let my knees hit the concrete.

_God help me…_


	29. Faulty Vision & High-Speed Decompression

***AUTHOR'S DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**NOTE: I need some help with some bits and pieces in the next 10+ chapters of Darkness Within Light, and I would LOVE for you to brainstorm with me! PM me for details! **(And as always, PLEASE REVIEW, I _crave_ your input/feedback!) ^_^

**Chapter XXVIII – Faulty Vision and High-Speed Decompression**

I heard a faint voice plead with me. "Desiree! What is it?"

I mustered up enough strength to move, looked up, and gasped in horror. Zak followed my gaze. A Shadow – _the_ Shadow – was standing twenty feet from us. _What are YOU doing here?_ I thought, terrified.

Its presence felt like I was caught in a cage with an angry wolf, teeth bared, ready to attack. I heard Zak yell for Nick to train his camera in front of us, but it was like I was underwater. The sound was muffled and felt far away.

"What's your name?" Zak called, turning on his digital recorder. What was weird was he didn't sound threatening at all. _What is wrong with you, dude?_ I blinked and looked up again, but the Shadow was gone… along with the weight that I was feeling. I sucked in air and slowly stood up.

Jerry was on me instantly. "Are you okay?" He pulled a handkerchief from his chest pocket and handed it to me to mop up the blood running down my face and dripping on the floor.

"Did you just use Desiree's energy to appear for me?" Zak called, like he was talking to a child.

_Wait a minute…_

"I'm fine, Jerry," I mumbled, turning to head back to the elevator. "And I'm _so_ fucking done up here," I said to Zak. I still felt disconnected and unstable.

The color in Zak's cheeks drained when he saw the terror in my eyes and the blood dripping off my chin. I tried on my tough-girl stance, rolled my eyes and put the handkerchief to my face.

"Nick, we'll come back up here later and finish this up. Let's head back down." Zak walked over to me and waved his hand downward at Nick. "Shut that camera off, bro." He caressed my cheek with his knuckles and lifted my chin to inspect my nose with his right hand, cupping my cheek with the other.

"We need to get some ice on that." He wiped my upper lip with his thumb and pulled back to turn back towards Nick, looking unsure as to what their next move should be.

I winced as I saw my own blood on his fingers.

Jerry narrowed his eyes at Zak touching me, but he seemed to accept that Zak was being attentive to me because he began to walk back towards the elevator. I waited until my great-uncle was out of earshot before I opened my mouth again.

"Zak… I didn't actually trip and fall."

Zak said nothing. He just pointed to Nick, who lifted his camera back up and turned it towards me.

"You didn't fall?"

I frowned. _I don't want this on camera…_ "No. I felt two hands on my back push me."

Zak arched an eyebrow at me. "You're serious?"

"I'm not a damned fool, Zak."

He turned his back to me. "Show me how hard you were pushed."

I put both hands flat against his shoulder blades and shoved as hard as I could, causing Zak to pitch forward a couple of steps. He took a deep breath and turned back around slowly, his face beet red. Without saying a word, Zak strode to the corner where we had seen the Shadow and began to shout, "Who hurt Desiree? Who pushed her? Who drained her? Why you fuckin' with my girl?!"

_My girl?_

Jerry turned around at Zak's voice and stood, hands on his hips, waiting for us to catch up with him. Zak puffed up as he raged against the air. He resembled a pissed off lion, pacing back and forth, sizing up an opponent. "So you'll attack a woman, no problem; but you won't attack me? You're a coward!"

I decided now was the time to leave. I turned and began to walk towards Jerry, while Zak continued to rant.

"Come ON! You've got nothin'!"

"Zak… dude," Nick said to him quietly, noticing that I was retreating. They both ran to catch up with me.

"Desiree, I'm sorry," said Zak, putting a hand at the small of my back as we walked.

"It's whatever. If you were looking for a fight, I didn't wanna be caught in the crossfire," I grumbled. _You fucking idiot._

We walked down the stairs silently and joined Barbara and Aaron in the loft.

Jim put a smile on his face and in his voice as he turned to Barbara, offering her his hand. "My beautiful bride, would you mind coming with me downstairs? These guys need a moment to regroup." She giggled like a teenage girl and obliged, but froze when she saw my face.

"Desiree, what happened to your face?"

"I just tripped in the dark, Barbie. No big deal." I went to the fridge and piled ice cubes into the bloody handkerchief. I collapsed on the couch next to Aaron, pressing a clean section of the cloth to my nose. "I'll be down in a minute."

Barbara shrugged. "Okay." She and Jerry disappeared down the staircase.

I glared up at Zak. "Why the hell were you baby-talking up there?"

He gave me a puzzled look. "What do you mean? You saw her too, didn't you?"

"_Her_?"

"It was a little girl, clear as day. She was waving at me." He began to walk around the room, looking at the various awards, newspaper clippings, and family photos posted on the wall.

_He's not taking me seriously!_ I contemplated throwing a piece of ice at him, but just couldn't cultivate enough interest to follow through.

Instead I just seared the back of his head with a laser-beam glare. "It was _not_ a little girl, Zak!"

He turned to look at me. "What do you mean?"

I opened my mouth to deliver a scathing response, but Nick interrupted me defensively. "No, it was a little girl, I saw it too." He began to rewind his film to see if his camera had caught anything to help validate what he and Zak saw. "I'll show you."

I let out a very bitter laugh. "You need your eyes checked."

Aaron nudged me. "What did you see?"

"A black shadow." I said. Aaron's eyes went wide.

"What do you—"

"FUCK me!" Zak shouted, jumping back from the wall. "Aaron, give me your camera. Now, now, _now_!" He grabbed it off of Aaron's shoulder and pointed it at the wall.

"Nick, come look at this photograph." He zoomed in on a picture frame. "That's _her_, bro. That's the little girl! Same dress and everything."

"Yeah man. Creepy. Hey Desiree, who is this?"

I heaved myself off the couch and joined them. I felt my blood freeze. It was a photograph of a little olive-skinned girl – about four years old – with brown hair and bright blue eyes, wearing a very ruffled baby-blue dress, shiny white shoes and lacy white socks. She was beaming at the camera and clutching a rainbow-colored book, a gaudy ribbon tied slightly off-center on her head and her skinned knees just visible under the ruffles of her dress. "Oh, my God…"

Zak turned to look at me and his eyes went wide, recognizing the connection.

"What?" asked Nick.

I ripped the framed picture off of the wall and gripped at it frantically. My head was reeling. I gawked at the picture, the piece of time captured on film. The memory of that day floated into my consciousness in an overpowering fashion.

_- flashback: April, 1985 -_

"_Vamos, princesita," A beautiful woman with olive skin and long dark hair beckoned to me from the front door of a run-down duplex. A child, looking like the woman's curly-haired miniature, giggled and ran behind an old blue recliner. Joyful golden rays of morning sunlight danced in from the windows and across her hair._

"_You have to find me, Momma!" The child crouched down and leaned forward, peeking over the arm of the recliner and gripping the straps of her brand-new white shoes for balance._

_Suddenly a pair of gigantic, strong hand wrapped themselves around her sides and lifted her high into the air. She shrieked as a deep voice boomed, "Gotcha!"_

_A man with a wide smile and a full beard lifted the child over his head and spun around in three circles before setting her on his broad shoulders, placing a firm but gentle grip on her ankles to keep her from falling backwards._

"_We are going to be late for church, Joe."_

"_But it's _Easter_, Daddy! We have to go egg-hunting!"_

_The man picked up his giant brown leather Bible and a pastel-colored gift bag and walked the two of them out the front door to join the beautiful woman on the front sidewalk. He lifted the little girl back over his head and set her on the ground, holding out the bag in front of her face. "The Easter Bunny told us to wait until after we celebrate Jesus to hunt for eggs, Baby… But he asked us to go ahead and give you _our_ present _before_ church."_

_The woman wrapped an arm around his waist, and they both smiled down at the girl as she tore into the bag. She lifted out a small, hardback Bible that was colored like a pastel rainbow. The pages were gold-lined, and her name was inscribed in gold cursive on the bottom right corner of the cover._

_The little girl began to jump up and down. "Thank you, Daddy!" She ran forward and hugged the man's legs. "I love you!"_

"_We love you too, _Mijita_." Her father produced a camera and pointed to a modest flowerbed lining the sidewalk. "Stand over there so we can take a picture of you in your new clothes."_

"_And with my new Bible?"_

"_Of course," he laughed._

_The child grinned as wide as she could and held still long enough for him to snap a photo, then skipped towards the car. "Let's go learn about how much Jesus loves us!"_

_Her parents gave each other a smile and shook their heads, sharing the same thought: Our daughter has such a big, weird heart._

_- end flashback -_

I was snapped back to reality by Nick landing a heavy hand urgently on my shoulder. "_What_, Des? What's wrong?"

My hands had begun to tremble uncontrollably.

"Nick… I, um… that's _me_."

For a moment, no one said a word. It felt like the floor had dropped out from under us.

Aaron stood up. "So, hold it. Let me make sure I get this right. Something sucked all of the Desiree's energy out of her and manifested visually. All three of you saw it, but you and Zak saw a little girl that looks just like Desiree when she was little, and Desiree saw a demon?"

"It wasn't just any demon, Aaron. It was that damn Shadow."

I saw rage fill Zak's eyes. "You have got to be kidding me."

"How do you know?" asked Aaron.

I chewed on his question, trying to come up with the words to describe it. I studied the photograph, hoping it would provide an answer. "I don't know how I know, Aaron. It was like the thing just revealed itself to me in my head. I can't describe it."

"I understand that," said Zak. "Demons can screw with your head hardcore, though. Are you sure this wasn't just another demon playing on your own fears?"

I slowly set the picture frame back on it's hook in the wall, still in shock. "I guess technically no, I can't discern something like that. I just know what I felt and what I saw."

"Here it is, guys," Nick said, turning the camera's LCD display towards us.

We saw me go down on my knees, then something like a thin black wisp of smoke seemed to appear and vaporize at the same time in front of me and Zak… and at that moment there was a clear laugh of a child that was on this video that we did _not_ hear at the time. Zak picked up his digital recorder and dialed it to that moment. "Moment of truth," he mumbled under his breath, hitting the "Play" button.

Again, the indisputable sound of a little girl giggling. I felt a knot begin to rise in my throat.

"_What's your name?"_

"…_She's mine…"_

"What the fuck does that mean?" Zak was trembling, he was so mad. He wound his arm back to throw the digital recorder, but slowly talked himself out of it.

"…_Come play with me, Zak…" _said the same female child's voice clearly, followed by a horrific demonic snarl.

Zak looked up at me with apologetic eyes.

"…_Run! Run now!..."_ it sounded like a woman screaming. I felt goosebumps run down my spine.

_Fuck this._

I turned and walked down the stairs without saying another word.

"Whoa, whoa, wait, where's _she_ going?"

"Des!" Zak caught my arm half way down the stairs.

"Let go of me!"

"Desiree, what's wrong?"

I blinked back tears. "I'm screwing up your investigation by being here. I need to leave."

He took two steps past me and turned to me, face to face. "What do you mean?"

"We haven't seen any evidence of what Barbara and Jerry are reporting, just my Shadow fucking with us."

He put his hands on my shoulders and studied my watery eyes. "Go on downstairs, I'll be there in a minute."

"Zak, I—"

He cut me off by pushing his lips up against mine, cupping my face in his hands. He wiped a tear away with his thumb. "Don't you dare apologize, sweetie."

His gaze shifted past me and I whirled around to see what had caught his attention. Aaron was standing at the top of the stairs, camera pointed at us, a sheepish look on his face. "Sorry guys, I didn't know…"

"Aaron, dude?" Zak sighed and moved over to let me pass him on the cramped staircase. "Not cool."

I continued numbly down the stairs and returned to the bar. I collapsed on a barstool next to Jerry and buried my face in my hands. Jerry put a protective hand on my back. "What's wrong, Sister?"

I just shook my head. _I can't believe this._

Barbara joined us. "No one's ever been attacked like that here before, is this what happens when these guys show up?"

"No… the thing that attacked me isn't normally here."

"What in the hell do you mean by that, Desiree? Did _they_ bring it here?"

I sighed. I've kept my family, outside of my parents, completely in the dark about what is attached to me, mostly so they won't think I'm a two-bit whack-job. "No. I did."

Jerry turned my face towards him. "You need to spill it. Right now."

I felt the tears begin to leak from my eyes. "There's a demonic force that has been attached to me for years now… ever since I was living in west Texas." I stood up and beckoned him and Barbara to the stock room and turned my back to them, lifting up my shirt.

Jerry went white. Barbara put a hand to her chest. "Lord, have mercy…"

I pulled my shirt back down and turned back around. "I'm used to it by now, but it's screwing up their investigation."

"Actually, it isn't. It's forcing the other entities here to interact, which rules them out as residual," said Nick, standing in the doorway.

Aaron poked his head in. "I'm sending the recordings and videos to Billy, now. He should have results in an hour or so."

I looked at Nick. "Is he in Vegas?"

"No. He came with us, but he's still at the hotel."

Barbara put a hand on her hip. "Okay. I think we're done here for today." She went to the office to grab her purse.

Jerry pointed at Zak. "You and your team are coming to the house." He waved goodbye to the afternoon shift employees and ushered me out the door.

He walked me to my car and leaned on the door. "Sister, I'm sorry about what you're going through. If you want us to we can kick the guys off this investigation. Just say the word."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about me. I'll keep my distance and it should be alright. I'll see you guys back at the house, I need to go for a drive and clear my head."

"Be careful."

I unlocked my door and turned over the engine. As it warmed up I stared straight ahead, blankly. I felt numb.

_BANG!_

I was startled by a hand knocking on the passenger-side window. Zak was bent over, giving me a wave.

I smiled and unlocked the door. He climbed in awkwardly. "You were right about me being a tight fit," he grunted, pulling the seatbelt over his shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Cashing in my rain check for a ride." He smiled mischievously at me.

_Good grief._

I looked past him at the front of the building. Barbara was talking with Nick and Aaron, no doubt giving them directions to her and Jerry's house. "Shouldn't you be with your boys?"

"They're going to the hotel to work through stuff with Billy, and then all three will head to your aunt and uncle's place. I want to be with you right now, is that okay?"

I frowned. "I'm not exactly pleasant company right now. What did you have in mind?"

He patted the shift knob and winked. "Blow my hair back, baby-girl."

_Okay, I can do that._

"Aye, aye, captain." I fingered through the CD collection in the back storage cubby behind my seat and pulled out a Glitch Mob album. I popped it in the CD player and adjusted the sound levels. I waved at my aunt and the guys, put the car in gear and peeled out onto the street.

As soon as we hit the highway, I dropped the gear and slammed on the gas. The turbo-charger let out ear-piercing cries and the four hundred horses surged us forward as the bass for _Fistful of Silence_ appropriately dropped, vibrating my chest and drowning out my fearful thoughts. Zak gripped at his seat and the dashboard as my RX7 easily passed 140 mph, and the speedometer needle continued to climb.

We passed a hundred and seventy miles per hour, and I felt tunnel-vision set in. It's dangerous, but at that moment, I didn't care. I needed to go and go and go until I felt like I had outrun the terror that we had just faced.

Fuck it.


	30. Firm Ultimatums and Crazy Relatives

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XXIX – Firm Ultimatums and Crazy Relatives**

The highway signs few past in a blur and the white lines on the road had become a continuous stream as we rocketed down the road. After a couple miles, I decided to end the suicide mission and let off the gas.

I turned down the volume and gave Zak a sideways glance. "You said you wanted your hair blown back, Sugar."

He nodded, a look of exhilaration on his face. "This Rex doesn't fuck around!"

I exited the highway and we cruised around Little Rock for another half hour, finally pulling up to a park.

"Where are we?" Zak asked, sticking his head out the window.

"The old mill," I said, letting the car idle down. "It's my favorite place to come decompress when I'm in town." I turned the car off and we both got out. I popped the hood and opened it, letting the engine cool off after driving it so hard. Taking Zak's hand, I tugged him towards a trail. "Come on."

An abundance of brown and orange leaves littered the ground and dressed up the surface of a small pond, still clinging onto the memory of autumn. The thick ceiling of low hanging tree branches sheltered us from the evening sun and dappled the ground with light as we walked over a bridge and towards the run-down mill. You could see the mountains in the background, dappled with evergreens and random bursts of yellow leaves or bare brown branches, resembling a shower of fireworks over the park.

The whole area looked like something out of a painting – it stole my breath and demanded awe.

We got to the mill and I led Zak up the spiral staircase to the top level and over to a window overlooking the pond. He looked nervous, but his jaw dropped at the scenery. "Wow."

I leaned against the window ledge and sighed, just drinking it all in.

I was silent, letting the power of creation melt away my anxiety that had built up throughout the day. Despite the therapeutic atmosphere, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of shame.

_God's love and creativity overflows to create beauty such as this…_

I wish I could be as vibrant and worshipful as that four-year-old of my memories.

I felt Zak's hands encircle my waist and he stepped up behind me, his body flush with mine. "I see why you come here," he said, resting a cheek on the top of my head while we watched the sun set behind the trees. "So does your whole family live here in Arkansas?"

"More or less. My parents met in college here, and escaped to Texas to have me," I joked. "We're the black sheep of the family. We did live about a half hour east of here when I was a freshman and sophomore in high school."

"Why such a short time?"

"My father's jobs." I didn't really want to go into it. He was laid off by a company that was going under, then he quit his job we moved to Arkansas for because he was traveling fifty weeks out of the year. We survived on my college funds for the year after he quit, trying to keep our heads above water as he searched for a better job. It's caused more tension between my folks and me than I care to admit.

My phone buzzed, snapping me out of the moment. It was a text from Barbara. [_Dinner in 10_]

"Alright, Zak, we need to get going." I turned around towards the stairs but Zak didn't move. He kept me in his arms, staring down at me, a small smile on his lips.

I opened my mouth to speak, but he leaned down and cut me off with a long, soft kiss. I felt a shiver and put a hand to his cheek. He kissed me again, this time with more intensity, slowly backing me up against the wall.

_Oh my God…_

I broke from him before I could get any more riled up. "Barbara and Jerry will have dinner ready in ten minutes. We really do need to head out."

"Let them wait." He began to work down my neck with his mouth.

I groaned. "I don't want to face the storm for being late. Especially when I'm late for being out with _you_!" I took his head in both hands and pushed his head back so we were again eye to eye. "Seriously."

He smirked and kissed the tip of my nose. "Alright."

We headed back down the stairs and back out to the car. "How far away is their house?"

I shrugged. "About twenty minutes."

"We have ten."

I winked. "That won't be a problem."

He laughed at me as I skidded out of the gravel lot. "Speed demon."

Twelve minutes later I pulled up to Jerry and Barbara's house. Both of their trucks, along with the guys' black SUV, were already in the driveway.

Zak put a hand on mine as I pulled the parking brake. "Desiree."

"Yes?"

"One more," he whispered, leaning towards me. I met him halfway. _I could get used to this… oh, who am I kidding? Wake up, dumbass._

_Knock-knock-knock!_

We both jumped, pulling back from each other. A thicker man with a mohawk was waving both hands at us through Zak's window.

"Fuckers," Zak grumbled, unbuckling himself and opening the door.

I turned off the car and swung my door open, nearly knocking over Aaron and his damn camera. He backed up a couple of paces and grinned at me. "Maybe we'll release _Aaron's Vlog – Uncut_ one of these days so I can use all this great footage of Zak and his _mystery girl_."

"Shut up, dude."

Mohawk ran around the car to join us. "So _this_ is Desiree, huh?" He winked at Zak and offered his hand. "I'm Billy."

"I figured. Have you guys even been inside, yet?"

At that, Nick stuck his head out of the front door. "Red is about to crucify every last one of you upside-down if you don't get your asses in here!"

Zak took my hand as we walked toward the house, encouraging a whistle from Billy. I gave his hand a squeeze and dropped it. Aaron-cam was still behind us.

Jerry had the pool table in the game room covered with plywood and a tablecloth, already stocked with brisket, ham, salad, beans, grilled chicken, corn, and wheat rolls, salad dressings and butter. Barbara was setting plates at the table when I walked in.

"Glad you could join us," she said, holding out two fistfuls of silverware for me to set out. "Where did you two go?"

"We just went for a drive, that's all."

"Mm-hmm." She winked at me.

I shook the pointy end of the silverwear bundle at her. "Shut _up_ already! We cruised around downtown and then went by my place."

She smiled and nodded. "You should be glad it's still there. Some damned kids tried to burn the mill down this summer."

I rolled my eyes. "Figures." I looked in the living room where Zak was just walking in the door. Howard, Matilda, and Winston immediately bum-rushed him, knocking him back a few steps.

"Hey! Dogs!" He laughed and dropped to his knees to greet them.

Jerry walked out of the kitchen with a gravy boat and hollered towards the living room. "Ya'll get your hands washed and come sit down, boys."

One by one, they each grabbed a chair and sat down. Billy sat on my left, Zak on my right. Jerry and Barbara took the ends of the table and Nick and Aaron sat across from Billy and me.

Jerry put his hands out to each side of his plate, Barbara and I did the same. They guys awkwardly followed suit, so that we all joined hands. Jerry lowered his head.

"Lord, thank you for this day. Thank you that you have always been enough to sustain us over the years, and even still you have blessed us richly. Thank you for bringing my grand-niece and her friends safely here, and may your hand protect them when they travel home."

I felt Zak's hand squeeze mine. I peeked around the table and stifled a giggle at the awkward looks on the guys' faces.

"Let your supreme will and your unending mercy reign over the spiritual war that these men will face over the next couple of days, as well as the war we all fight every day. We love you and it's in your gracious Son's name that we can come to you. Amen."

At this we let go of each others' hands and began to dig into the platters and bowls at the center of the table. I didn't think to warn them about Jerry's devotion to a holding-hands prayer before meals. _Oops._

Aaron motioned to me with a fork loaded with ham. "Desiree, I have a question."

I raised my eyebrows.

"How did you get 'Sister' as a nickname?"

_Shit._ I quickly looked down at my plate. Barbara leaped to my rescue, placing a reassuring hand on my arm. "That's probably a story for another time, there, Aaron," she said pointedly.

The rest of dinner was ate in silence, other than minor compliments over the food from the guys. After an hour or so, Barbara and I began to pick up everyone's dishes and Jerry motioned to the men to move towards the den.

I dumped a pile of dishes into the sink and turned on the hot water. Barbara came behind me and nudged me out of the way with her hip. "There is a roll of aluminum foil in that drawer," she nodded to a drawer next to the stove. "Will you cover up the food and bring it in?"

I nodded and retrieved the box as she asked. As I returned to the table, I heard Jerry's down-to-business tone from the other room. "Okay. So what did you want to show me?"

Zak coughed nervously. "Well, sir, the first thing you should know is that this is only from doing one walk-through with you and your niece. We still have three other interviews and the lockdown to complete before we have complete evidence to piece together."

"Uh-huh."

"So, as Desiree has probably told you, it seemed like most of the activity was focused around her. Billy?"

I hurriedly finished covering the platters and bowls and hurried them to the kitchen, two at a time. I wanted to hear what the guys said about today.

"Now the crazy part about this one is, Nick and I saw a little girl, but Desiree saw the same apparition and it looked like a demon." I flew around the corner just as Billy was playing the enhanced audio from when Zak and I saw my Shadow. Billy, Nick, and Zak were sitting on the sofas, with Jerry in his usual chair. Aaron was sitting on an ottoman across the room, camera in hand.

"…_She's mine. You cocksuckers don't know who you're messing with…"_

Jerry looked up at me as the audio continued to play, his face contorted with confusion and rage. I jumped as a hand gently landed on my shoulder as Barbara came to stand beside me in the doorway.

"_Run! Run now!"_

Billy clicked off the audio and let out a loud sigh. No one in the room really wanted to talk or look at each other. Finally, Zak managed to speak up first… big surprise.

"Okay, look. I know that some of the activity is not native to this area, but what Desiree attracted today caused whatever is in that building to interact." He gave me an apologetic look, then went back to studying the floor.

Jerry glared at him. "So what are you saying?"

Nick spoke up. "We think that since she's a target—for lack of a better term—she should go with us tomorrow…" Nick looked at me blankly. "And, if you're okay with it Desiree, we want to bring you in for an hour or so during our lockdown."

Jerry stood up and held up his hands. "No way in hell. I am not letting her get hurt again."

"But we'll be with her the entire time—"

"And look where that got her, today," Jerry spat. "I am fine with you boys doing your own thing, but don't you dare put my niece in harm's way!"

Nick opened his mouth but Zak held a hand out to him to silence him. "Yes sir, you have our word." He took a deep breath and nodded. "Nick, regardless of how Desiree's presence affects the investigation, we know now that the entities in this building are intelligent, not residual. We're going to get more evidence, with or without her."

Nick shrugged and looked at the floor.

"Look, that's a secondary issue, here. The big problem is that we have all of this amazing evidence just from doing a walk-through, but it's all centered around Desiree's attachment. We can _not_ put any of that on the show," said Aaron. "So I really do think it would be safer for her to keep her distance on this one, guys."

"Thank you, Aaron," I said. _Thank God_.

Jerry shook a finger at me. "You'd better agree on this, Sister. I will _not_ have you involved in their investigation."

I did agree with him. One-hundred and fifty percent. However… I was born with this attitude problem that I suppose you could tag as an "authority issue," and I have a tendency to balk at anything that sounds like "you can't do it". I put my hands on my hips and frowned. "I'll feel useless."

_Shut UP, dumbass!_

Jerry furrowed his brow at me. "No, what's _useless_ is any argument you have on this matter."

I was raised in this family such that any authority figure's word is final, so I knew it was pointless to keep my mouth flapping. Jerry's yes is yes and his no is no, and I don't hold any weight in swaying his decision once he has put his foot down.

"You aren't normally part of the investigation process, so it's not like your absence will be crippling," said Billy, winking at me.

"Okay, fine," I groaned. I'm still not sure why it bothered me so much, but the sensible part of me wasn't about to argue.

Jim and Zak continued on a dialogue, working out when the interviews would be the next day, with Nick running through his phone's calendar on each one. I could tell that Jerry was upset, but he was trying to keep it from showing.

At that point Winston couldn't handle the tension in the air anymore. He barreled into the middle of the room with a squeak toy in his mouth. He wiggled around to make sure he had everyone's attention, then flung his toy up in the air and barked. The toy bounced off of the sofa and landed on the floor next to me. I picked the slimy thing up and threw it down the hallway. Winston barked again and charged out of the room.

Zak caught my eye and smiled. "I think he may be related to Sadie."

* * * * * * _[The next day__]_

I got up around seven in the morning and quickly pulled on a pair of kakhis and a black sweater. Pulling my hair back into a loose bun and teasing my bangs around my face, I stepped into my black flats and brushed my face with foundation and blush and did some quick eyeliner work.

I joined Jerry in the kitchen for a quick breakfast, making minimal talk. As soon as I was finished eating, I dumped the dishes into the sink and pulled on my coat. I was about to step out the door when I felt a strong hand catch my arm.

"Where on earth do you think _you're_ going, young lady?" Jerry stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at me.

I deflated. "I… uh… nowhere."

"You are not to show your face at Red's today, do I make myself clear?"

I pouted. "Yes, sir."

"So? Where are you going, _now_?"

_Damnit._ I shrugged. "Gramma wanted to see me if I had any free time today, so I guess I'm heading to Conway."

He kissed my cheek. "Good answer, Sister."

I grumbled obscenities under my breath as I stomped out to my car and began its warm-up process. I wasn't going to go _in_ to Red's Billiards, but I wanted to see Zak before he began his interviews.

Okay. Maybe I would have found a way to weasel in. Whatever.

Regardless, now I was forbidden of my original plans… and now forced to find some other way to lick my ego's wounds and pass the time. I put my car in gear and headed northeast.

Half an hour later I pulled up to an old little house with gaudy white columns lining the wrap-around porch and an extravagantly landscaped lawn. I walked through the front door and hollered. "Guess who!"

"Come on in!" Thelma's voice floated in from the den. I tiptoed past the formal living and dining rooms and was met by a silver Teacup Yorkie. "Hey, Jodie!" I dropped to my knees and scooped up the tiny dog. "I see you're still treating your pet rat like it's a dog," I teased, stepping over the threshold into the living room.

"Hey there, sweetie!" Thelma heaved herself out of a recliner and hugged me.

"Hi, Gramma." I transferred Jodie to her and sat down on the couch next to my father's sister Angela, a sweet, plump woman sporting trendy hair and a wide smile.

"Say girlfriend," she cooed at me, bumping my shoulder with hers.

"Hey, Aunt Angie."

My grandmother immediately started for the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"

I shook my head. "No, ma'am, I ate at Jerry's before I came over here."

I immediately regretted my words. Thelma's face contorted with jealousy, but she quickly recovered. "Okay, that's fine." She came back into the living room and sat down, leaning towards me expectantly. "So what brings you to town on _business_?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's not officially business, Gramma. I helped some friends of mine who investigate old buildings find a location, so I was invited to come with them."

"What kind of investigation?"

I gave her a sideways glance. Little Miss Southern Baptist would not like my answer at all. "Have you ever watched the TV show, _Ghost Adventures_?"

"I have!" Angela said, clapping. "Oh my lands, the lead guy is _soooo_ pretty to look at!"

Thelma raised an eyebrow at me. "Ghost hunting? What on earth are you doing getting involved in nonsense like that?"

I threw my hands up. "I'm _not._ I'm friends with the gentlemen who run the show. I knew of a reportedly haunted building here in town and I opened my big, fat, A.D.D. mouth about it… so now here I am."

Angela grabbed my arm. "So you're friends with _Zak Bagans_?"

I looked down at my lap. "Yeah…"

She began to clap and squeal. "I know _that_ look!" She immediately pulled out her phone. "Momma, I'll show you a picture of this guy."

"Angie, you're a freak."

She ignored my insult and just winked at me. "So when ya getting married?"

"Oh for crying out loud! I'm not even dating anyone!" Angela is a very persistent woman. Their older brother Ray and his wife were never able to have children, and I think Angela hears it all the time from Thelma that she's the only one bringing great grand babies into the family.

"So wait, you _aren't_ dating Zak?"

"Not exactly." _Not like I would tell you, even if I was._

"Desi-Bear, you just turned thirty. Mother Nature won't wait around forever."

"Get _off_ it."

My grandmother frowned at me. "So you're dating a ghost hunter?"

"_No!_ He has interest in me, but we are _not_ dating!"

"Ah-HAH! Do you have an interest in him?"

"Angie, I'm about to take off a shoe and beat you with it."

She held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, _fine_. You need to work on your sense of humor."

"I have a sense of humor. When there is humor, I will sense it."

She gave me a playful shove as she got up from the couch. My grandmother was still scowling at me.

"What?"

"Was this _Jerry's_ idea?"

I groaned and stood up. "No, ma'am, it was mine. I do wish you would quit assuming that Jerry and Barbara are hell-worthy."

"They own a _bar_. He _gambles_. She runs around with _homosexuals_."

"_And_ they donate to charities _and_ pay all of the bills for their church."

She just rolled her eyes.

That did it. My patience was gone, much more quickly than I had anticipated. "Well, I have to get going."

"Going where?"

I grinned. Really I just needed to escape from her attitude, but I decided to have a little fun with rubbing her nose in it. "I'm supposed to meet up with the guys for an interview here in a bit."

"Good Lord," she grumbled, standing up to hug me. "Does your father know what you're doing up here?"

"Yes." _…No, actually._ Whatever, he wouldn't get pissed even if she did call him to tattle on me.

"Well. You be careful, little one," she said. She patted my cheek. "I love you, dear."

"I love you, too." _And I'd like you more if you weren't such a self-righteous bitch._

I escaped out the front door and walked quickly to my car. As soon as I sat down and slammed the door shut, I sighed and rested my head on the steering wheel. My family has no shortage of crazy.

I knew I couldn't actually go to any of the investigation interviews, so I decided to run with plan B. I pulled out my phone and sent a group text message to my cousins.

[_You boys ready to race the Texan?_]


	31. Street Races and Police Reports

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XXX – Street Races and Police Reports**

I pulled up to a beautiful two-story house in Maumelle, Arkansas. I revved the engine to announce my arrival, and I heard the garage door begin to open as I stepped out of my car.

"Desiree!"

I looked up to see sixteen-year-old Adam come running down the driveway. He's a tall, gangly, awkward teenager with spiky blonde hair and piercing green eyes. He was wearing a long-sleeved _C.A.C. _Mustangs shirt and basketball shorts. He grinned and tackled me in a hug.

"Hey, dude!"

He immediately grabbed my hand and began to pull me towards the garage. "You've gotta see my new baby!" When we got to the garage, he held his hands out, presenting a glittery black 1968 Impala sport coupe.

"Your folks bought you this?"

He shook his head. "No, I've been saving my birthday and Christmas money for years, and I also finally got a job at Burger Street, so I had enough for a down payment on a loan."

"You're only sixteen, kiddo."

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. The loan is in Dad's name, but I'm paying him back."

I walked around to the nose of the car and motioned for him to pop the hood. "Done anything to it yet?"

"No, but the guy I bought it from had overhauled the entire thing. He dropped in a supercharged five-point-seven liter LT1 V8." He opened the hood and pointed out the upgrades. "He also had the block, valve covers, and headers ceramic-chromed."

Obviously. The engine bay was gleaming.

"Desiree?" I turned around to see Chase entering the garage, sporting an oversized _University of Kansas_ hoodie and a _Dallas Cowboys_ ballcap. He removed his hat to push his long bangs out of his eyes, then jammed his hands into the hoodie. He walked up beside me and bumped a shoulder against mine.

Chase is a year younger than me and is a fellow "black sheep" of the family. At about the same time period, we both had been ousted from family relationships and had run off to live on the wild side for a couple years. He was more on the hippy side of the party scene, growing experimental marijuana and selling mushrooms while keeping the bare minimum GPA in school to stay enrolled. His folks finally wised up to his act and shortened the umbilical, forcing him to move back home. The past two years he's been back in the full swing of school, only now he goes to local technical college.

"Whaddup, gangsta?" I bumped him back and nuzzled my nose on his shoulder by way of greeting.

He smirked. "What the hell are you doing here? Christmas isn't for another couple weeks."

"Maybe I just missed your god-awful face, Punk."

He tilted his head back to hold back a laugh. Without warning he shot out an arm and got me in a sleeper hold. "I missed your dumb ass as well!" He rubbed the knuckles of his free hand hard against the top of my head.

"STOP IT!" I twisted free and landed a punch against his stomach. I immediately regretted it. _OUCH!_ The man has washboard-abs and has no concept of saying no to a brawl. I wringed my hand and took a step back, but he grinned and tackled my waist. I shrieked as he threw me over his shoulder and spun us around in circles.

Adam rolled his eyes. "Just like old times…"

"What the hell is going on out here?" A deep voice boomed from the doorway that separated the garage from the house. Chase set me down and we both turned to see my uncle, Randall, step into the garage. He blinked as his eyes focused on me, then he burst into a smile, arms open wide as he advanced. "Des! Wow, what a surprise!"

I returned his embrace, inhaling the sweet scent of pipe tobacco. "I'm in town for a few days and just wanted to come by and say hello."

Randall motioned towards the door. "Get inside where it ain't so cold!" He pounded a button on the wall and the garage door began to slide shut as we followed him into the house.

I heard loud baying as I entered the warm kitchen. Two basset hounds rushed at my feet. One was a huge tri-color male named Whicker, and the other was a lemon-and-white female named Sandy.

"Hey, puppies!" I cooed, crouching down on the floor to pet these low-slung beasts.

Chase shook his head. "Please, by all means. They're starved for attention."

"Are you? Oh yes you _are_," I baby-talked to Sandy, cupping her face in my palms as my fingers fondled her long, velvety ears.

Randall laughed and began to open cabinets in the kitchen. "Yeah. They're so damn deprived here."

Whicker wiggled his fat butt and smiled in Randall's direction.

"Want something to drink?" Randall set out a few glasses on the counter and turned to open the refrigerator. "We've got every soft drink known to man, plus some Miller High Life if you want something with a kick."

I laughed and shook my head. "I'll take a coke, thanks." I wandered into their living room and sat down on the wrap-around couch. I heard a shriek. On the back of the opposite corner of the couch, an African Grey parrot was eyeballing me fiercely.

"Hey, Gollum."

Adam cracked up and flopped onto the couch by the massive bird. "It's _Precious_, get it right."

"That piece of crap is in no way _precious_," I retorted. Precious has been around for as long as I can remember, and he has always been as mean as a snake. Sandy leaned against my leg to remind me that she was there, and I reached down to scratch the top of her head.

Randall brought me my glass. He and Chase then joined us on the couch. "So why are you in town?"

_Here we go again…_ "I have some friends filming at Red's, and I was asked to come with them."

"What are they filming?"

I rolled my eyes. "_Ghost Adventures_."

Randall looked confused. "What?"

Adam pumped his fist. "Hell yeah! That's the best ghost-hunting show on TV!"

Chase gave me a look. "Okay, which one is your favorite?"

"Excuse me?"

"Dude, those guys are _celebrities._ Every girl who knows about the show is goo-goo-gaga bonkers over at least _one_ of them."

"I'm not obsessed with anyone." My ears were burning.

"B.S. You don't think _any_ of them are hot?" He added a fake _Valley Girl_ tone to his voice and batted his eyes at me mockingly.

I turned back to my uncle. "So anyway, I'm not supposed to get involved with the investigation, so I thought I'd come play cars with your boys."

Chase barked a laugh. "It's Zak, isn't it?"

I threw up my hands. "What the hell!"

He snickered and gave me a push. "Well Nick's a married guy and Aaron isn't really your type."

"And Zak _is_?"

"Why not?"

"You're a dick."

Randall held up a hand. "Okay, that's enough." He clicked off the television and leaned towards me. "Last time you were here your Rex was spanked by Chase's car. Why do you want a round two?"

Chase drives a 1995 Nissan 240SX. 2.0 liter Japanese engine, turbo-charged and tightly tuned – the beast puts out over three-hundred horses. I raced him almost two years ago and had lost miserably. Of course, I've had quite a bit of work done to my engine since then.

I grinned. "There's another hundred horsepower in my car since I last saw you guys."

Chase let out a low whistle. "I'm game."

I tipped my glass towards him. "Challenge accepted. By the way, where's Taylor?"

Adam groaned and Chase rolled his eyes. "Good question."

"What does that mean?"

Randall sighed. "Ever since he got married we've hardly seen him outside of Christmastime. I haven't even seen his boys since they were born."

"Boys?" Wow, I must be out of touch.

"He and his wife had twins back in April."

Chase flicked at his nose contemptuously. "His broad thinks she is too good to be around us, apparently."

I laughed. "Yikes. Where are they living now?"

"That's the sad part. They only live about five minutes from here."

_Shit._ More family drama. I shrugged, frowning. "Well, his loss. Let's go piss him off before you get your ass handed to you on the street."

"You wish," Chase said, grinning and pushing himself off the couch.

Fifteen minutes later Adam and I were driving slowly behind Chase and Randall in his 240SX. We cruised to a subdivision down the road from their neighborhood and slowed in front of a massive house.

I gawked. "You're kidding me."

Adam leaned over to look out my window. "Yep. Her folks bought them that house as a wedding gift."

"Lucky."

Chase rolled down a window and gave me a thumbs-up. I grinned, returned it, and mashed down the clutch as he counted down from three with his fingers.

_Three…_

_Two…_

_One…_

Simultaneously we threw our cars in gear and hit the gas in front of the house, the sound of our exhaust and screeching tires surely interrupting everyone's lives on that block.

Chase pulled away almost immediately, but I allowed a little more burnout before jumping away from the curb. The white tire smoke lingered in my rearview mirror, and the smell of burning rubber clogged my nose. I frowned for a second, my A.D.D. finally remembering how much tires cost for this car… but whatever.

It was _so_ worth it.

Adam laughed hysterically as we followed Chase and Randall out of the neighborhood and headed towards the highway. We were just catching up to the Nissan when my phone buzzed. I pulled it out of my pocket and tossed it to Adam.

"You're riding 'bitch', you answer it."

Adam unlocked the screen and began giggling. "Taylor says, 'What the hell is wrong with you people?'"

"Tell him, 'I miss you too.'"

We hit an onramp and once on the highway, Chase slowed down so we could get side by side. He nodded to me, then mashed down on his gas. I did the same, and both cars shot forward. He had gained a car-length on me by the time I topped out my third gear. I threw the car into fourth and we rocketed forward like a cannonball, quickly gaining on the Nissan. Chase downshifted and slowed my gain just enough to where I only had maybe two feet gain on him and Randall when suddenly…

"SHIT!" I saw the blue and red lights of a cop car behind us, though they were dwindling in the distance. Chase and I both let off the gas and let our cars coast down from over a hundred and fifty miles per hour. I finally eased onto the brakes and pulled over onto the shoulder, Chase pulling over in front of me. I pulled the E-brake and rolled my windows down.

"We coulda outrunned 'em," grumbled Adam.

"True, but I'd rather _not_ have a warrant."

Two minutes dragged by before we saw the police car appear over the hill. It taxied to a stop behind my car and a barrel-chested man got out, an aggravated look on his face. I reached into the glove box to pull out my paperwork and fished my license out of my wallet.

He appeared at my window first. "Ma'am, license and registration, please."

I smiled sweetly and handed him the paperwork. He studied it closely, then looked up at me, shocked. "Desiree?"

_Oh no…_ I peered up at him, confused. He quickly pulled his sunglasses off and grinned.

"_Todd?_"

"Hey!" He laughed and handed me my papers back.

Todd was the one and only man I dated when I lived in Arkansas for those two years in high school. Great guy. "It's been forever!"

He nodded and looked towards the other car. "Friends of yours?"

"Family, actually."

He laughed. "Take the next exit, there's a diner off the service road. We'll talk about your driving then." He went to Chase's window and leaned in to give him the same instruction.

Adam slumped. "That can't be good."

"Why?"

"We were going over double the speed limit, Des."

I shrugged and pulled off the shoulder. As instructed, we took the next exit and pulled into the far corner of a parking lot for a run-down diner. I winked at Adam and got out of the car.

Chase and Todd pulled up on either side of my car, and everyone got out.

We all met on the sidewalk in front of the nose of my car. Chase and Alex were sulking, but Randall and I were a little less pitiful-looking. Todd got out of the squad car, but only after making a call. He swaggered over to us with a distinctive "cop-walk" and rocked back on his heels, hands on his belt.

"Do you guys have any idea what the laws are regarding street racing in the state of Arkansas?"

I decided I wasn't going to play along. I knew he was just trying to be intimidating for my cousins, but it had been too long since I had gotten into a decent tongue-lashing with this man. I grinned. "Well, I don't imagine they're too bad, since four wheelers can't run much over fifty, anyway."

Randall blinked at me as I continued, "And cattle can't go over thirty. So what's the damage, officer?"

Todd groaned and shook his head. "I missed that sass."

Chase's jaw dropped. "The hell?"

Todd took out a notepad. "Look, I clocked the Nissan at a hundred sixty-two and I clocked the Mazda at a hundred seventy-four. The speed limit on that highway is sixty-five miles per hour."

He paused for a dramatic affect. "However… since you're kin to an old friend of mine, let's just go with a warning."

Randall burst out laughing. "Only you, Des!"

I scowled. "Shaddup."

Todd turned to me. "And you're just getting a verbal warning, young lady."

"No fair!"

I winked at Chase. "My rack is better than yours."

Todd laughed. "Well, that wasn't exactly my reasoning, but take it as you like." He motioned towards the diner. "I'll replace the written warning with a meal, if you guys want."

Randall shrugged and we began to move towards the restaurant. I skipped a couple paces to catch up with Todd. "The state pays you so little that you have to trade tickets for food?"

He shook his head. "No, but the hotrodders have to put up with being around a cop for a little bit, and I get to catch up with you. That's the trade-off."

"I should tattle-tale on you."

He grinned. "Good luck with that one, angel."

We made it inside and awkwardly took seats at a long table by the window. An older woman came up to us and took our drink orders.

"So you really aren't going to arrest us or tow our cars?" asked Chase incredulously.

Todd shook his head. "I figure the whole thing was Desiree's idea, right?" He winked at me.

I sulked. "Well, it's not like there is anything else to do around here…"

"Spoiled Dallas Dandy," Todd mumbled, winking at me.

"Not in Texas anymore, Todd. I moved to Nevada."

He blinked. "Oh yeah?"

I launched into a Cliff-Notes explanation of how I ended up relocating to Vegas, wrapping up just as the waitress returned to take our food orders.

After ordering, Alex put his hands on the table. "Okay, so who _won_?"

Todd blinked at him. "You mean… the illegal street race?"

"Yeah!"

My uncle shook his head.

Todd laughed the same easy-going laugh from my teenage years. "Seriously? Desiree already had the pull on you."

Chase shrugged. "Yeah, but we only _stopped_ because you caught us."

"Keep digging, Chase," I growled.

"Sorry, buddy. Desiree was going over one-seventy, you were just barely at one-sixty. My vote goes to the Mazda."

"Yessss!" I pumped my fists in the air and stuck my tongue out at Chase.

Chase cut his eyes over at Todd. "You just turned a two-year-old feud into an all out grease war." He then grinned at me. "It's _on_, now, woman."

"Let me know when your car's balls drop."

Todd laughed again, then leaned forward on his elbows and looked at me. "Anyway, we could sit here for hours playing catch-up. But… let's save it for later. What brings you to town?"

"She's working with _Ghost Adventures_!" piped up Adam.

"Not exactly, I just gave them a location." I shot Adam an aggravated look. "So since they're doing the investigation this week, I thought I'd use it as an excuse to come visit."

Todd cocked his head. "Like, _Travel Chanel_'s show? Really?"

I nodded.

"Where are they doing their lockdown?"

"Red's Billiards in downtown Little Rock."

Todd's eyes grew wide. He leaned back in his seat and exhaled slowly, looking up at the ceiling. After a moment, "Well, they'll definitely have a wild time there."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Todd finally made eye contact again. "My scariest night on the job involved Red's."

"Well yeah, Todd, it's a shitty part of town."

"No, angel," he reached across the table and put his hand on mine. "This was something that was there one moment and gone the next. I've never been more freaked out."

"Okay," I pulled my hand back from his and made a gesture for him to elaborate. "So…?"

Just then the waitress returned with our food, so Todd was forced to be silent. As soon as she left, though, he leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Look, so I responded to an alarm call at Red's about a B and E. I figured it was probably a cat or something that got into one of the upper floors and set off a motion sensor – it wouldn't be the first time. However, when I pulled up to the building, I saw light coming from one of the fourth floor's windows.

"I managed to make it through the bar without causing too much excitement, and once I got up to the top floor, I saw a man… hanging… in the middle of the room."

"Hanging?"

He nodded. "Like, some guy had just committed suicide. I turned away for a split second but when I looked they were gone."

I frowned. _Why didn't Barbara tell me about this?_

"I thought I was losing my mind."

"Did you tell Red or Jerry about it?"

He shook his head. "I stuck to the cat story, both to the management and on the written report. As a cop, you can lose your job for hallucinating like that!"

I pulled out my phone. "The guys need to know about this."

Todd held up a hand. "Whoa! Even if it _wasn't_ a hallucination, I lied on a report! I don't want the trouble."

I grinned. "I'm sure they can keep you anonymous. Don't worry."

"Okay, fine." He pulled out his wallet and began to fish through it, finally producing a business card. "Have them call me tonight." He then flagged down the waitress and handed her his credit card.

"Wait, I thought _we_ were buying," said Randall, putting a hand on the back of my chair.

Todd shrugged. "I'm a softie."

After we finished eating, we walked out to the cars together. Todd wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "You know, _you_ should give me a call sometime, too. I'd love to hear what's been happening over the past thirteen years!"

I smiled and nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"And, if you have any more free time while you're in town this weekend, let me know. My wife is big on having people over." He winked at me, then shook hands with Randall and the boys.

Once I got into my car, I took out his business card and turned it over between my fingers. _What a coincidence…_


	32. Battery Acid and Family Secrets

***AUTHOR'S DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**AUTHOR'S NOTE** - I still could use some brainstorming help, lovlies! Also, it maybe two weeks until the next chapter, simply because my new job is so taxing that I haven't had much time to type up anything to keep me more than a chapter ahead of what is posted. Just be patient! Thanks for your support, everyone, please review!

**Chapter XXXI – Battery Acid and Family Secrets**

"Sister, are you coming home tonight for supper?" Barbara asked me over the phone. I took stock of my appearance and groaned. I was wearing a set of Adam's jeans, an old sweatshirt, and a lot of engine-bay grime.

After we had gotten back to the house, Chase and I had been laboring over his SX, trying to find a vacuum leak that had sprung up on our way home… and we were still hunting for it several hours later. I hadn't realized how late it had gotten.

And when Barbara and Jerry prepare you a meal, it takes a court order or an act of God for you to be excused or late.

"Oh crap, Barbie, I'm still in Maumelle!"

I heard her laugh softly. "You're with Randall and his boys, right?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Then don't worry about it! I'll wrap up a plate for ya and leave it in the fridge."

_Whew. _"Thank you so much." I stepped back from the car and walked over to the work bench, where Chase and I both had beers set out. "So… how's the investigation going?"

Pause.

Then, "I guess you'll have to wait and find out when the episode airs." Barbara's smirk oozed through the line and slapped me in the face.

"No fair."

"Sorry, sugar!"

I got off the phone with her and returned to the car, draining the last of my beer and tossing it in the garbage. "I'm missing out on dinner."

Chase looked over his shoulder at me, a horrified look on his face. "Omigod, what time is it?"

"About seven."

"They aren't mad at you, are they?"

I laughed. "Thankfully, no. They were fine with me hanging with ya'll."

"Lucky break," Chase grumbled, turning back to the hoses in his hands. "Well I think I found the problem, so let's go to Autozone and get some replacement line."

He held up a black vacuum line with a split in the middle, as though someone had taken a knife to it.

"That's weird."

He nodded, inspecting it closely. "Very. Could've blown the whole damn engine if I didn't find this now."

I frowned and took the hose from him, sniffing it. I scrunched up my nose and fought wretching. "What the hell is this line used for?"

"Just air."

"It smells like rotten eggs!" I leaned past him to inspect the battery, assuming that it was the cause of the smell, but there was no corrosion or sulfuric deposits around the posts to take the blame.

"Very weird," Chase said, taking it from me and tossing it on the ground.

I withdrew slowly. I had no idea what had caused the slice in the line, but I suddenly had a very bad feeling in my gut.

_Wait a minute…_

I looked up at my car, just out of habit. "Oh, God…"

Steam was curling up from under the hood.

Chase straightened up. "What the hell, now?"

I ran to my car and quickly popped the hood. The sulfuric, acrid smell that escaped was overpowering. My battery had fluid boiling over out from underneath the posts, emitting a horrible hissing sound.

"_What the FUCK?!_" I ran back to the garage and grabbed a wrench and a handful of shop towels, yanking on my gloves and hurrying back out to my car. I dropped the towels and began to unscrew the battery cables from the terminals, watching as battery acid bubbled and spit on my sweatshirt and gloves. Finally loose, I heaved the battery out of the engine bay and all but threw it onto the ground.

I stared at the battery, dumbfounded. As soon as it left my hands, the boiling stopped.

Chase ran to my side and crouched down to take a look at the battery. "Are you serious?"

I didn't answer. My eyes were locked on a black mass standing under the tree in the front yard.

The Shadow had fucked with my car.

Shit just got real.

*** * * * * *** _[9 PM]_

I had shaken off the car incident enough, that by the time I met up with the guys for a late dinner, I was able to hide the fact that my confidence was rocked to its core. The fact that the Shadow was able to mess with the mechanical workings of my _car_… it terrified the hell out of me.

Chase never saw the Shadow. He prides himself as an agnostic and so it would have been too much trouble to try to explain it to him. Instead Chase and I had gone and mindlessly bought me a new battery and new cables for my car – plus new silicon vacuum lines for his car – and as soon as my car was back in business, I hit the road.

Now I was sitting across from Zak at a nice hole-in-the-wall italian joint with Aaron, Nick and Billy, listening to them ramble on about the "worthless" interviews.

"What do you mean, _worthless_?"

Zak shrugged. "We kept seeing and hearing random shit, but absolutely none of it was captured on anything we tried to use."

"That's weird."

"And, most of the guys we interviewed were so hard to understand, or were so over-dramatic, that this episode will get torn to shreds by the critics," grumbled Nick.

Aaron patted him on the back mockingly. "Don't be so negative, G! We heard some great horror stories from these guys!"

"Yeah, it was pretty creepy, but there was next-to-zero credibility." Zak took another bite of his pasta and looked at me. "I am still kind of nervous on this one. The contractor we talked to today didn't even want to go up to the third floor. We had to pull out a blueprint so he could show us where different things happened."

I grinned. "Sounds like you're gonna have a blast tomorrow night."

"Yeah, well, I don't know why _you're_ so damn excited about it. I thought you were the one who thought this job carried a death wish?"

"I do, I've just given up on convincing you towards sanity," I winked and snitched a piece of pasta from his plate.

"Hey!"

I batted my eyes innocently, then returned to my salad. After another bite, I lifted my wine glass towards him. "By the way… I found you another interview."

A weary look washed over Nick's face. "Another hill-billy contractor? A homeless patron?"

I giggled and took a sip of wine. "No. A cop."

Aaron put his fork down. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Do I want to know how you did it?" Zak smirked at me.

"Probably not… My cousins and I went street racing and got pulled over."

His eyes bugged out of his head. "Holy shit."

"We got lucky. The policeman was actually an… old friend… of mine from when I used to live here."

Nick raised his eyebrows mockingly. "Ex-boyfriend?"

"A _nice_ ex-boyfriend."

"So why do we need to interview him?"

"He'll have to tell you that," I baited, reaching for the bread.

Zak rolled his eyes and shoved another bite into his mouth. "Mmm-kay." He swallowed, then picked up his glass. "Give me his number and we'll give him a call."

I smiled and handed him the business card that Todd had given me. He looked it over, then leaned to the side and stuffed it into his pocket.

"So," Aaron said cautiously, "Desiree, why is your nickname 'Sister'?"

I froze, staring at my salad. _Get it over with._ I looked up and sighed. "When I was born, there were a lot of complications. They had to deliver me two months early, and before they took my mother into surgery, the doctor said that my lungs were not developed, so there was no way that I was going to survive."

Nick swallowed and put his fork down.

"Miraculously, when they delivered me, I had no developmental problems, other than the fact that I had no body-fat on me. They kept me in an incubator and fed me through a tube so that my body wouldn't burn calories trying to stay warm or eat. The doctors and nurses were totally blown away."

I took another sip of wine before continuing. "Later when I was five years old, my parents got pregnant again. I was so excited that I was going to be a big sister that I began to demand that everyone called me that, so that my little brother wouldn't get confused." I chuckled slightly, "It was so dumb."

"I didn't know you had a brother!" Zak said, completely unaware of my tone. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I don't."

Zak wilted, embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

I pat his had and smiled. "It's okay. So we went eight and a half months preparing for Logan Daniel with zero complications or worries, but a week before Logan was due, my mom's water broke unexpectedly. They rushed her to the hospital and delivered him, but for whatever reason he just would not breathe." I felt the heat of tears behind my eyes, but I shook it off.

"He was declared as still-born, and the doctors never figured out exactly why. Of course, this _was_ in the eighties." I shrugged. "Still being a ridiculous little girl, I had decided that I would only answer to Sister… 'so he would know I still loved him, even though he was in heaven'."

I grinned sheepishly. "I eventually got over it, but some of the extended family has adopted it as a general affectionate nickname."

"That's… not weird."

I laughed, "It took my mother some getting used to, but now it's just whatever."

"I'm sorry, Desiree," Aaron said, looking guilty that he even brought up the topic.

"No big deal, Aaron. You would've found out sooner or later."

We finished eating slowly. By eleven p.m. we had all paid our bills and we headed out to the parking lot. I shivered and zipped up my coat as soon as we hit the nighttime air. I waved goodbye to the guys, but Zak stayed on me, walking me to my car.

When we got to the Rex, he wrapped his arms around me before I could bend to unlock the door. He turned us around and leaned back on my car, holding me to him. "Don't worry about us, okay? This isn't our first rodeo, and chances are we won't even capture enough evidence to really make an episode."

He lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me. I broke the contact first. "I'm freezing my tits off, can we move this inside?"

He laughed and let go of me, then walked around to the passenger-side door. "As you wish."

As soon as we were in the car, I turned over the engine then wrenched in the seat to face him. I suppose he took this as an invitation, because he immediately leaned forward and locked lips with me again. He put a hand behind my head to pull me towards him and his tongue began to tickle my lips.

_Ah, what the hell._

I responded and intensified the kiss, letting my hands roam over his shoulders and neck. I felt his other hand land on my leg, just above my knee, and begin to work its way upward. A tiny alarm went off in my head. _Damn it._

I pulled back and took his hand in mine, thwarting its flight pattern. He grinned at me, his eyes burning holes right through my clothing. I sighed and put a hand to his cheek.

"Look, Zak, I just need to reiterate something."

He frowned. "What's wrong?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Playing along with his affection is so enjoyable, so comfortable, and yet it made me so uneasy at the same time.

"I am _not_ your girlfriend."

He smirked. "Well, yeah."

"Just from the way we have interacted with each other over the past couple of days, my family is now bugging me for details about you, as if we're a serious item."

"Really?"

"Yeah," I rolled my eyes. "They're asking when you're gonna 'pop the question'."

"To ask you out?"

"No, for my fucking hand in marriage!"

His eyes grew wide. "That's not creepy."

"No, shit!"

"Well I'm pretty sure I've asked you out a couple of times, you just haven't given me an answer yet."

I picked at the stitching on the steering wheel. "I'm still pleading the fifth."

He put a peck on my cheek and winked. "I know." Still holding me captive with his smile, he caressed my chin with his knuckles and opened his door, backing out into the cold. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Good night."

*** * * * * *** _[~7AM]_

"I said no."

"No, _Jerry_ said no."

"Well I don't want to disappear, so now _I'm_ saying it. You will not come with us tonight."

I pouted and crossed my arms across my chest. "Nick said you guys got your best evidence when I showed up."

"Yes, and every bit of that evidence is unusable."

I was standing out in the parking lot of the hotel that the guys were staying at. Chilly winter wind cut straight through my coat and whipped across my shoulders, blowing my hair in my face. We had agreed to meet up for breakfast that morning. After a long, sleepless night of thinking, I had decided that – for whatever reason – I should be a part of the investigation after all. However, Zak was honoring my great-uncle's request and not conceding one bit.

Too bad for him, I'm stubborn.

"It's just for one hour."

"It's still _you_ inside the building!"

"So what?" I squinted at his face as a ray of morning sunlight burst over the trees and directly into my eyes.

Zak shook his head. "I don't get you."

"What do you mean?"

"After all this talk about wanting to avoid this stuff, after all the bullshit you've gone through… It doesn't make any sense at all that you want to help, doll."

He was right, and I knew it. However, there was something in me that was gnawing at me. I felt drawn to the place, and figured that was an indication that I needed to be involved. I shrugged and toed a fallen leaf with my shoe.

"I just feel like I need to be there."

Zak sighed. "Des, I get it, but I'm not changing my mind on this."

I nodded. "Got it."

I wasn't convinced… but I know when to stop beating a dead horse.

*** * * * * * **_[~6PM]_

I looked outside the window, frowning at the sun threatening to dip below the treeline. I was under "house arrest" per Jerry, and I was quickly developing cabin fever.

I decided that there was _no_ way I was playing couch-potato on a Friday night, and picked up my phone. Pounding out a quick text, I down the last of the beer I was working on and got up to get another one.

Jerry looked over his newspaper at me. "Restless, much?"

I pulled a Bud Light from their fridge and flopped back onto the couch. "Very. It's a Friday night, Jerry!"

"Get over it, youngin'."

"You're no fun."

My phone chimed and I opened it to see a text. [_OMG you're in town? Lets go bar-hopping!_]

I grinned and held up the screen to show my great-uncle. "Remember Brianna?"

"Sort of"

"She wants to get together with me tonight."

Jerry set down his paper and sighed. "It's not like you're grounded or anything. Red's is closed tonight for the investigation anyway." He looked over his spectacles at me. "But you girls are to steer _clear_ of that side of town, got it?"

I leaped from the couch and kissed him on the forehead before running to change clothes. "Yes, _sir_! Thank you!"

I wiggled into black capri leggings and pulled on a short black skirt over them. I put on a black lace cami and shrugged a top over it; short-sleeved bronze shirt with glittery black lace ruched up the seams and tiny hooks down the front holding it all together, finished off with a ruffle across the bottom that accented the skirt perfectly. I played up my eyeshadow and added another layer of mascara, added dark red lipstick, and stepped into my glittery black 5-inch heels. I fluffed my hair and gave myself a once-over in the mirror. Hell yeah.

_Little Rock, eat your heart out._


	33. Night Clubs and Drug Abuse

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**Chapter XXXII – Night Clubs and Drug Abuse**

I returned to the living room just as my phone began to ring _Ghosts n Stuff_. I danced over to it and picked it up, winking at Jerry.

"Heyyy!"

Brianna shrieked on the other line. "Hey, girl! You ready to par-tay?"

"Yes, ma'am," I said, shrugging on my coat.

"Your uncle still live in the same place?"

"Yeah…"

"Good!" She hung up and there was immediately a ring at the doorbell.

I kissed Jerry on the top of his head and hugged his neck. "Don't wait up for me!" I grabbed my purse and keys and headed to the front door. Wrestling through the mass of dogs wiggling in the foyer, I inched out the door and turned to greet my old friend.

Brianna wrapped her arms around me and laughed. "It's so good to see you!" She pulled back, then looked me over. "Damn, girl, what happened to the freshman?"

"She grew up," I giggled. Brianna looked different as well. Her once long brown hair was now cut short and dyed dark red. Her hemp necklaces, Jncos and T-shirt were replaced with a short red dress, her converse traded for silver pumps.

"When did you get taller?"

"Fuck you! When did you get shorter?" I took her arm and we walked towards our cars.

Brianna and I were best friends when I lived in Arkansas for two years. We had most of the same classes and had the same sarcastic sense of humor, so we clicked very easily. She hung out with the stoner crowd while I was a band nerd, but who gave a shit?

This was the girl who for Halloween one year, we both made crazy matching costumes for school. We fashioned "Jnco-style" pants out of Nickelodeon cartoon prints (She did _Blues Clues_ and I did _The Angry Beavers_) and made hats that resembled Blue and Dagget, parading around the high school like a pair of complete retards. This was the first person I called when 9-11 happened. This was a friendship where no matter how far apart we were, we would always call each other to cry over men or family problems. I love this girl.

Our friendship had grown stagnant when we both went off to college. She became a Christian then, while I was telling God to fuck off, so we never really rekindled things until Facebook blew up a couple of years later.

I followed behind her as we drove down to the Riverwalk district of downtown Little Rock. Even shadier than the neighborhood that Red's Billiards is in, this area is well known for muggings, prostitution, and car theft. I cursed Brianna under my breath as we pulled up to an old, deserted-looking warehouse.

She bounced out of her Jetta and came to my driver side door. "Ready?"

"You aren't going to sell my kidneys, are you?"

She laughed, "No, silly, that's a nightclub!"

I blinked at the warehouse. "Is it underground? What is this, the 90's?"

She tugged at my arm. "Trust me!"

I shrugged and stuffed my stereo face down into my purse. "Fine, but if my car gets stolen, you owe me about fifteen grand."

"Deal."

As we approached the massive building, I could faintly hear the familiar thumping of bass. We walked up cement stairs and through a heavy steel door, stepping into a shockingly lavish foyer. A man almost bigger than the bouncer at Red's smiled down at us and held out his hand. "ID's, please, ladies."

As he ran our licenses, I peeked around him at the interior of the building. There were two hallways, one of which the heavy bass was escaping from.

We handed our licenses back to him and entered the club, taking the quieter hallway first. We passed through a lounge area filled with abstract sculptures glowing neon under blacklights and ended up at a very trendy bar – all glass and florescent or neon lighting.

A very flamboyant young bartender, with spiky orange hair and with his shirt having one-too-many buttons undone, came over to us. "Hey there, Bri! How's it going?"

She grinned and took his hand. "Great, how are the drinks?"

"It's a slow night," he said, kissing her hand and then turning his eyes on me. "Who's your friend?"

"Desiree," I offered him my hand.

We ordered drinks and escaped to wander about the rest of the club, watching the crowd. After getting several smoldering glances from several women, I pinched Brianna in the arm. "What kind of club is this?"

She nudged me. "It's a gay bar. I feel safer here than in a normal club on this side of town."

I opened my mouth to respond, but I was interrupted when a younger girl came over to us, eyeballing me up and down. I shifted nervously.

"Hi, how's it going? That skirt looks so great on you."

_Fucking seriously? _I looked to Brianna for help, but she just winked and backed away, smirking. Trapped by this pretty young woman, I began a dialog with her on the underground house-music scene. I kept the focus off of me, asking her about the local DJ's and such.

Finally, she dropped the bomb. "So, do you have a girlfriend or anything?"

I mentally smacked myself in the forehead. "No, no I don't."

"What? Why not? You're too pretty not to be with somebody!" She draped an arm across my shoulders and brought her face close to mine. At this distance I could see the drug-induced dilation of her pupils and I could smell the alcohol on her breath.

_Why me?_

I smiled at her gently and took her hand, removing her arm from my shoulders. "I don't need to _be _with someone in order to be happy."

She smiled coyly. "I hear that. Let's go grab another drink. I'll buy."

_Damnit._ That backfired.

I didn't want to just scream out, "_I DON'T SWING THAT WAY!"_ …but I was having a hard time excusing myself from the conversation politely. I'm just too damn nice to strangers.

I stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Please don't, I can get my own drink."

She raised an eyebrow and her head did a slight wobble. "I'm not gonna 'roofie' you, if that's what you're worried about!"

I laughed and walked beside her back towards the bar area. "No, I just am saying you don't have to buy my drink."

"That's cool. I'm Tara." She held out a hand to me in a very intoxicated fashion. I stifled a giggle and shook it.

"I'm Desiree."

We reached the bar and I glared Brianna, who was down at the other end of the bar. She blew me a kiss mockingly. I put on my most pitiful _help me!_ face in response, then turned back to Tara.

"So," Tara slurred, heaving herself onto a barstool, "Are you from around here?"

"Actually, no. I live in Nevada."

"That's cool, what brings you to a shit-hole like Little Rock?"

"Work," I looked over my shoulder at Brianna again and beckoned for her to join us. She rolled her eyes and hopped out of her seat.

"What do you do?"

_Shit._ "Um, I'm on a research team for..."

Fortunately I didn't have to finish. Brianna and the bartender both arrived to my rescue.

"So how's the love-fest going?" Brianna whispered, giggling. I glared at her and turned to the bartender, who was chatting with Tara.

"Having a good night, Tair?"

She nodded slowly. "Hell yeah I am. Banging music. Annnnd, beautiful scenery." She nudged my shoulder. I blushed as the bartender looked at me.

"Look, Tara, I don't want to be rude. I like guys."

She blinked for a moment, then shrugged. "My bad! No worries, sweetie. You're still cool as shit." She took the drink that the bartender had just made for her and turned to face Brianna and me. "Are you girls on anything tonight?"

Brianna laughed. "Not yet!"

I cut my eyes over at her. "No, not tonight." I said firmly, smiling at Tara.

"That's too bad. We just got this batch of Mollies in town last night and oh my _god_…" She let her eyes roll a bit. "They're fucking amazing."

I looked at Brianna. _Time to go._ I was almost five years clean, and I wasn't about to start fucking around with that shit again. I love the E.D.M. scene. The sounds, the sights, the people… but the idea of being tempted into using drugs again made the enjoyable environment change quickly. Instead of energetic and carefree it was now overwhelming and sinister. My anxiety just couldn't take it.

I picked up my drink and drained it in one gulp, then asked our bartender for my tab.

Brianna put a hand on my shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"I need to get out of here."

She raised an eyebrow and frowned. "Des, it isn't even midnight, yet."

"Bri, I _know_ that. I just need to _not_ be here right now!" I whispered. I turned to say goodbye to Tara, but in her ecstasy-fog she had wandered off and begun to talk with another group of strangers. _Thank God._ I turned back to Brianna. "I'll meet you outside."

I thanked the bartender, gave him a hefty tip, and quickly escaped out of the club into the cold night air. I sighed heavily, watching my breath and letting the tension erode from my limbs.

I went to my car and turned the engine over. _Fucking hell_, I grumbled to myself, slamming the car door shut and sitting (gently!) on the hood. _I hate this anxiety bullshit._

After a few minutes, Brianna appeared. She came and sat next to me, bumping shoulders with me gently. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just couldn't handle that atmosphere anymore."

She grinned. "No problem. Wanna try another club? Maybe a bar?"

"Not really," I mumbled. My party-on attitude had been seriously depleted.

She shrugged. "Let's go back to my place then." She heaved herself off the car and began walking towards hers. "Follow me," she called over her shoulder.

We pulled out of the parking lot and began a slow procession through downtown. Suddenly a familiar building loomed up on my left.

_Red's Billiards._

I slowed down, slightly. I wanted so badly to just see how the guys were doing, but I knew my great-uncle would skin me alive if he found out. I heaved a sigh and mashed on the gas to catch up with Brianna. I looked down at my phone. It was right at eleven-thirty. I rolled my eyes. _I hope you can buy beer this late in Arkansas._

We finally came to a stop outside of an old little house. The unkept lawn had a lawn mower and an old Camry parked on it. Brianna pulled into the driveway and I parked on the street.

"Welcome to my palace!" she laughed as I got out and locked my doors.

"You have roommates?"

"Just my brother. No big deal, he's probably out with his friends tonight." She slid me a wink.

When we were in school together, I had the _major_ hots for her older brother, Isaac. He was _so_ handsome and _so_ cool… and I was _such_ a dweeb. Regardless, he was always very polite whenever we did happen to cross paths.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not fifteen anymore, Bri."

"Ah, memories," she giggled, unlocking the front door and letting us in.

I stepped over the threshold and immediately caught the scent of incense. The low ceilings, worn furniture, and stained carpet made for a dark, cozy ambiance in the living room. I snagged Brianna's arm. "Where's the bathroom?"

She pointed down the hall and shucked off her heels.

When I returned from the bathroom she had two drinks set on the coffee table, and was pulling up _Call of Duty 4_ on her PlayStation-3.

One thing we do still have in common is a love for video games. Especially the ones where you get to blow shit up. I smiled and took a seat next to her.

*** * * * * *** _[~2AM]_

After hours of playing online teams and off-line campaigns… Brianna and I were nowhere near finished. We had taken a couple of breaks here and there, once to refill drinks, once for her to smoke a bowl (I passed on that) and a third time to microwave a box of pizza rolls.

I was so engaged in the game that I nearly jumped out of my skin when the front door banged open.

"Holy fuck!"

Three men came staggering in the door, talking and laughing. One was more round and had a full beard and his hair pulled back in a pony tail. Another was tall and skinny, wearing a ballcap. The third was Isaac. He froze, studying me for a moment, then rushed me.

"Oh shit! Desiree!"

I laughed as he wrapped me up in a hug. "Hey, Isaac." Isaac was a couple inches taller than me, with a neatly trimmed goatee and crystal blue eyes.

"Good to see you too, big brother," teased Brianna, pausing the game and standing up to greet the men. "Guys, this is Desiree. Des, this is Josh and Trent."

The tall skinny one, Trent, stepped forward first and offered a hand to me. "Hi."

I smiled back. I cut my eyes over at Brianna, who was snuggling up against Josh. "What did you guys get into tonight?" she asked.

"Pool sharkin', and we finished a bar fight!" said Trent, still staring at me.

"Finished?"

Isaac winked at me. "Well, yeah, we didn't _start_ it."

Brianna rolled her eyes. "You drunks are gonna be the death of me."

I picked up my controller and sat back down on the couch. Isaac took Brianna's place next to me. "Wanna go?"

"I'll own your ass."

He laughed. "This is gonna be good."

Trent sat down on the end of the couch next to me as Josh and Brianna curled up on a massive, worn out recliner. Isaac and I gave each other a serious nod, then began to hunt each other down on the video game.

After another hour of this, we were tied and I was starting to feel my eyes get heavy. "Next winner gets it," I mumbled to him.

"Flaking out?"

"No, passing out," I said, leaning back to rest on the couch, but jumping back forward almost immediately. Trent had strategically placed his arm around the back of the couch so that it would be around my waist when I sat back. "Sorry, bro!"

He grinned and grabbed my shoulder, pulling me back against the couch again, almost too hard. "No problem, beautiful."

I rolled my eyes, but returned my attention to the game. Soon, my avatar was dead on the ground, having received a headshot from a sniper rifle.

Isaac jumped off the couch and cheered. "Hell yeah!"

I tossed my controller onto the coffee table. "Damn it."

Brianna stood up and opened her arms to me. "We're going to bed. You're welcome to sleep on the couch here, if you want, Des."

_Thank God._ I was exhausted. I hugged her goodnight and waved at Josh as he pulled her, giggling, down the hall.

Isaac and Trent had picked up another video game and were already engrossed, so I curled up on the recliner. Isaac hit pause. "Do you want us to turn the sound off?"

I shook my head. "I'm not even here, man. It's no problem."

He winked at me and resumed the game. I felt myself drift off to sleep among the sounds of gunfire and explosions.

I couldn't have slept more than an hour, but I awoke to the feeling of hands on me. I sat up quickly, breaking Trent's grasp. He was standing over me, his face uncomfortably close to mine.

"What the hell are you doing, dude?"

He gave me another greasy smile. "Just making sure you're comfortable."

I immediately stood up and put myself on the other side of the coffee table from him. Isaac was passed out on the couch. Trent took a step around the table. "Come on, babe, the party doesn't have to end now."

_You have GOT to be kidding me,_ I thought. I picked up my coat and began to shrug it on. "Actually, I think it does."

"Isaac and I took some of these, but I saved you a gram, if you're interested," He held up a bag of blue and grey dried plants. Mushrooms.

I studied him closely. He had a mild sheen of sweat over his skin and his eyes were extremely dialated. _That does it._ I'd had quite my fill of dealing with street pharmaceuticals for the night – actually, for the year – and I was all but out of patience.

"I think I'd better go." I turned to pick up my purse.

Instantly, he was on me. His hands pulled my shoulders upright and he spun me to face him, forcing his arms around my waist. "You're just saying that."

Apparently he was hallucinating that he could change my mind. I squirmed against his grip, trying to escape without turning his trip south. "Turn loose. Right now."

Deaf to my complaint, he leaned his head forward, his mouth making a beeline for mine. Fortunately, his shroomed-out logic had failed to see the need to hold my arms. I swung my right hand and caught his mouth in a vicious hook. Shocked, his grip loosened on me enough for me to twist free. I jumped away from him and began to back up towards the door.

"Don't touch me."

I saw his vacant eyes grow dark. "Don't be a bitch," he slurred, stumbling towards me.

There was red at the corner of his mouth, but I had gotten lucky with that punch. Holly has always been better than me at self-defense. I knew that there was no way I'd be able to win in a scuffle against a man who had at least fourty pounds on me. I turned and sprinted towards the door. I fumbled with the locks and had just jerked the door open when I felt a hand clamp down on the collar of my jacket.

"Come on, don't go!"

I struggled, but his hand was like a vice. I bit my lower lip and, dropping my purse on the ground, wrenched out of my jacket. I ducked down as he stumbled back, holding my jacket with a confused look on his face. I snatched up my purse and bounded out the door.

I dug my keys out of my purse and managed to get my car door open before he even made it halfway across the yard. I turned the engine over and somehow got it into gear. He slammed against the door just as I hit the gas and peeled out, skidding down the street. My engine whined and complained, having to carry a load at a low temperature, but I didn't care. I wanted _out_ of there!

I drove a couple miles to ensure my safety, then pulled into a gas station's parking lot to unload the bottled-up tension. I screamed at the air, pounding my fists against my steering wheel, letting the hot tears pour down my face. I felt so stupid, and I convinced myself there was no _way_ I could head back to Jerry's house in this state.

I turned of my headlights and hunkered down in my seat, still whimpering and shaking uncontrollably. I glanced at the clock display on my dashboard. Four-thirty in the morning.

_Hurry up, sunrise…_


	34. Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the rights to the Travel Channel or to Ghost Adventures. Zak, Nick, and Aaron, or any other real-life characters, are NOT owned by me, however the interactions with these characters in this chapter ARE mine. All other characters in this chapter are owned by me. Real life references to locations, brands, and musicians/artists are not owned by me, and the characters' interactions with them are purely fictional.***

**FYI EVERYONE - It will be at least two weeks before I get the next chapter up. I was laid off at work yesterday (/cries) and in the hustle and bustle of getting out of the building, I was not able to save and email to myself the next two chapters, or the 60-page document that I had been peeling chapters off of. That's more than three months of work GONE. I'm going to take a few days to lick my wounds, then I'll start retyping from memory as much as I can. Thank you for your support!  
**

**Chapter XXXIII – Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire  
**

After over an hour of shivering and crying, I saw the sky to the east begin to show hints of pink and purple.

_Thank God._

I waited until the dawn was light enough for me to see beyond my car's windows, then got out. I stretched my legs and went to the gas station to use their restroom.

When I returned to the car, I checked my phone. I had a message from Brianna. Scowling and feeling a wave of fresh tears, I opened it.

[_Hey, I just heard what happened. I'm so sorry! Trent would never act like such a pig, sober. I wish you had woken me up when he started acting a creep. :(_]

I groaned and pounded out a seething response. [_Trent can go fuck himself, I don't care what he was on. And I wouldn't have made it to your bedroom._]

[_Are you okay, though? I mean are you safe? And that's what Isaac said, right before he kicked Trent's ass. Added a broken nose to the busted lip you already gave him. I feel so bad that I let this happen._]

[_I'm fine now, and it's not your fault. No hard feelings, girl. =) …I do need my coat back, though._] I turned off the screen and set my phone in the passenger seat. No, I wasn't mad at Brianna for last night's cluster-fuck – well, maybe a little, but it was unwarranted. It is unrealistic to expect someone who does drugs to act rationally and responsibly – it's just a setup for disappointment.

But beyond that, my self-confidence was rocked to its core. As if I didn't already have enough trust issues… last night didn't help any. I rested my forehead on the steering wheel, taking slow breaths. After a moment I looked up to process my surroundings. I was in the downtown district, the streets lined with neon signs and parking meters.

_Oh, shit…_

My jaw dropped as I recognized where I was. Across the street from me was a four-story building, a familiar green awning and storefront windows with pool balls and cues painted on them.

I was parked across the street from Red's Billiards.

_Jerry is gonna kill me._

Just then, Barbara's giant red Dodge pickup pulled into one of the parking spots in front of the bar. I pretended that I was small enough to hide behind my steering wheel as she clambered out of her truck and approached the front door.

I began running through imaginary scenarios and excuses that I could deliver to my great aunt and uncle. They would automatically assume I tried to go into the bar to participate in the lockdown. However, there was no _way_ I could tell them the truth about why my night had ended with me sleeping in my car at a gas station.

The authorities would never find Trent's body.

Barbara unlocked the front door and the steam of the warm indoor air billowed out onto the street. I saw Nick in the doorway, shaking her hand as Zak and Aaron came out carrying black cases to a white van parked at the corner. Zak set the cases at the back door of the van and turned to return inside, but froze when he saw my car.

My superpowers of willing myself and my car invisible continue to fail me.

Zak broke into a run, nearly getting creamed by an old Chevy pickup as he crossed the street. He arrived at my car and pounded a hand on the roof. I pretended to be startled, and leaned to the side to look up at him. His eyes were laced with anger.

_Damnit._

I cracked the window. "Good morning," I mumbled.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing here?" he yelled, slamming his fist on the roof of my car again.

I groaned, unbuckled my seatbelt, and turned off the car. She let out a relieved backfire from idling for so long. I barely had the door unlocked when he yanked it open and wrenched me out onto the pavement.

"Are you out of your goddamned mind?!"

"Zak, stop. I can explain."

He gathered me up in his arms, squeezing me until I could hardly breathe. "Jesus Christ, Desiree, what the hell were you thinking?"

I hesitated. He was obviously more than a little pissed off at me, but he still pulled me into a hug. It didn't make any sense. What made it even weirder was that he was refusing to make eye contact with me.

"I went out with a girlfriend last night and… long story short, I… I wanted to b-be here to greet you guys when y-you finished your investigation," I stammered, trying to sound convincing.

He furrowed his brow and looked at the sky, still avoiding my gaze. "It's a good thing you're cute, Dumbass."

"I'll say," said Barbara. She, Nick, and Aaron had joined us in the parking lot. "Your uncle is going to tear you a new one."

"I didn't go inside, though," I pleaded, wrenching away from Zak and turning to face her.

She shrugged and motioned me to her. "I'll do the damage control, sweetie, but now you need to come home with me. These boys need their rest." She wrapped an arm around my shoulders and kissed my forehead.

Zak raised a hand. "Can she come with us while we get something to eat? I need to talk to her about some things."

_Great…_

Barbara grinned. "Sure, honey."

"Don't move." Zak left me and went to talk with Nick and Aaron as Barbara returned to her truck. I leaned against my car, stunned. Zak was acting… strange. Distant, yet overly protective.

As soon as the Dodge was out of sight, Zak waved for me to join him and the guys by the van. His eyes were still focused straight forward, and his voice was still saturated with aggravation. "Come here."

I slowly walked over to him, shivering. Noticing my bare arms, Zak rolled his eyes and shed his coat. Without hesitation he wrapped it around me. "Do I want to know why you're not wearing a jacket?"

"It's a long story."

He folded his arms across his chest. "So you wanna tell me what's really going on?"

"Maybe if you turn off your asshole attitude." I was cold, tired, and had zero patience for being bitched at. I had already bitten back several _fuck you's_.

Sleeping in a cramped sports car in the middle of December will have that effect.

Zak faced Nick, taking a deep breath. Nick just shrugged at him and opened the back of the van. Almost reluctantly Zak deflated as he turned back to me. "You shouldn't have come out here. It's a dangerous neighborhood, and you may have contaminated our investigation."

"Even though I wasn't in the building?" I refused to acknowledge the "helpless girl in a bad part of town" comment.

He sighed and stepped up onto the curb to lean on a parking meter. "You were nearby."

Aaron stopped loading the van and put a hand on my back. "What time did you show up?"

"A little after four, maybe. Why?"

His eyes grew wide and he looked at Zak. Zak's pissy attitude evaporated. His eyes grew wide. "Oh, man…"

I've had quite enough of this vague bullshit, thank you very much. I put my hands on my hips. "_What_?"

Zak looked visibly shaken. His face was white and he reeked of fear. "We caught your voice on our spirit-box."

I felt my heart drop into my stomach. "That's impossible."

Zak finally locked his eyes on mine. No more anger, just worry and compassion. "It happened at almost five a.m."

_There's no way._ "It probably just sounded similar to my voice."

"No, Des," said Nick, putting the last case in the van. "It was _your_ voice. It called Zak's name… and said some other things."

"Like what?"

Zak toed at a piece of gravel on the sidewalk. "Well… we still have to go back over everything."

"Okay, let's go."

"I don't think I want you to hear any of it," Zak said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I frowned at him. "Why the hell not?"

"Let's go get something to eat," he grumbled, taking my elbow and steering me towards my car. I started to balk against his grip, but I was just too weary to put up a fight.

"Fine." _Jerk._

Twenty minutes later the four of us met up with Billy at a Cracker Barrel restaurant. We got lucky and were seated in a tucked away corner of the building, where we could have a little privacy. Billy had brought in his laptop and headphones, and set them up on a toddler seat at the end of the table. He smiled at me as I collapsed in my chair.

"Rough night?"

"Fuck off."

Zak gave him a look that said _drop it._ Shrugging, Billy began to plug in assorted memory drives to upload the investigation files. I avoided Zak's stare and began piddling around with the peg game set at the table. Aaron tried to lighten the mood by making jokes about the kid's menu. We all managed to laugh along half-heartedly, but the air between us was still buzzing with tension.

The waiter came over and took everyone's order. Obviously the guys were starving… but I wasn't. My gut was tied so tightly in a knot that even the idea of food sounded gross. I just ordered a coffee. Zak raised an eyebrow at me, but said nothing.

Billy and Nick were still absorbed in the laptop. Nick pointed at the screen. "Look at this one, first." Zak and Aaron pointedly began an off-topic conversation, almost like they were trying to distract me, as Billy hit play.

Five minutes in, Billy's head jerked up. "Whoa, what?!" He hit pause and jerked his headphones off of his head. "I thought you said she—"

Nick cut him off. "We got that just as we were about to start packing up. Keep listening, man."

Billy shot a quick look at me and then returned his attention to his laptop. After a while, the waiter brought us our food and Billy removed his headphones.

Billy reached out a hand to get my attention. "Desiree, did you—"

"Billy, no," growled Zak. "Don't drag her into this."

"No, dude, I can't call this evidence until I hear all factors, myself."

I set down my coffee. "Spill it. What the hell happened?"

Billy shook his head. "I just need to know if you ever went in the building, or if you ever called any of the guys while they were locked down."

"Of course not!"

Instead of looking relieved, Billy's jaw dropped and he slowly looked to Zak. "So this is legit?"

Zak avoided my glare, picking at his eggs. "I'm afraid so, man."

I folded my arms across my chest and put on my best bitchy pout face. "Somebody better fill me the _fuck_ in. _Now_."

Nick sighed. "Show her this clip, bro." He picked up Billy's headphones and handed them to me across the table. He handed the laptop to Zak to pass across to me, but Zak recoiled.

"I don't want her to see this."

Nick pointed. "It's just _this_ one, dude, not the _other_ thing."

_Other thing?_

Zak mumbled under his breath, disgusted, and passed the laptop to me. I set it on my thighs and put the headphones on. Aaron leaned over my shoulder. "Just hit that button and it will play."

_Zak was walking around on the fourth floor, holding a digital recorder and a spirit box. He wasn't asking any questions, he was just wandering aimlessly through the dark. Nick was in the far corner where I had seen the Shadow a couple days earlier, and Aaron was following Zak around with a hand-held nightvision camera._

_Without warning, a voice cut through the static coming from the spirit box._

"…_**Zak… Help me…"**_

_Zak whirled around to face Aaron. "Did you hear _that_, bro?"_

"_Yeah, man."_

"…_**Don't let it hurt me…"**_

_Zak's face visibly paled, even under the infrared beam. "There's no way. There is _noWAY_." He turned to shout into the darkness. "So you're gonna come out and play now, huh?"_

"…_**No, it's me… Please…"**_

_Zak bent over, his hands resting heavily on his knees, his shoulders heaving._

_Aaron's voice wavered over the camera's microphone. "Should I stop rolling, dude?"_

"_No. No way, man. Hey Nick! Get over here!"_

_There were loud, banging footsteps as Nick rushed to join Zak and Aaron. "What's wrong?"_

"_Turn on your Mel-Meter, Nick."_

_Nick stepped into frame and produced a bulky satellite-phone looking device. Immediately it began to emit a small alarm and began to light up._

"_Shit," he whispered, holding it up towards Zak. The screeching alarm's pitch raised dramatically._

_Zak finally stood up, his face etched with fury. "Who are you?!" He shouted into the dark. Almost in response, a creepy voice began chattering out of the spirit box, in what sounded like a foreign language._

I peeked over the laptop at Zak. He was hunched over his plate, staring blankly at his plate.

_Zak slapped at the back of his neck. "Dude, I just felt a hand on my back." He whirled around . "Don't you fucking touch me! Tell me who you are!"_

"…_**Desiree…"** A small child's voice sang over the foreign babbling._

"_You're shitting me," mumbled Nick, his camera still trained on the Mel-Meter in his hand. "What do you want?" he called, his tone less aggressive than Zak's._

I felt my stomach do a flip. _I really did fuck this up for them,_ I kept thinking. My face was hot and my legs were trembling uncontrollably.

_Zak had already lost control. "You try'na play games with us? You leave her out of this!"_

_A deep, mocking laugh – straight out of the old horror films – dominated the audio. Aaron's camera blipped, causing a couple frames to warp on the screen, and in those frames there was a tall black figure between Zak and Nick._

"What the fuck is _that_?" I hit pause and pointed at the figure, now resembling a picture taken in front of a fun-house mirror.

Aaron leaned over my shoulder and followed my hand. "Wow. Hey Billy, give me the pad." Billy handed him a worn out steno-pad and a pen. Aaron wrote down the timestamp on the screen. "We'll need to clean this up and check it out when we get back home."

I looked at him. "You didn't notice that when you were filming?"

"Nope."

Zak reached across the table and closed the laptop in my face. "That's enough for now."

I gave him the best bitchy look I could come up with, but it fell short when I saw the look in his eyes. He was mad, but there was a more prevalent emotion.

_Why is he afraid?_

Billy took his headphones and laptop and put them away, and we ate in silence.

Zak finally spoke up. "Des, I do not believe you just happened to be outside Red's because you wanted to greet us when we ended the investigation. You feel like telling the truth, yet?"

I felt my cheeks go warm again. I hate lying, and I hate it even more when I get called on it. "I didn't tell you the whole story, because I didn't want to cause a scene with my aunt there."

"Okay, fair enough. So what really happened?"

I sighed. _Here we go…_


End file.
